US Vaccine Website Defaced with AI-Generated Content

Vaccine Information Website Defaced with AI-Generated Spam

A website operated by the U.S. government, intended to provide information regarding vaccines, has been compromised.

The site is currently displaying what appears to be spam content created by artificial intelligence.

Details of the Defacement

According to archived records, the domain – belonging to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) – has been displaying similar content since at least May 12th.

This content primarily consists of posts with gay-themed and LGBTQ+ subject matter.

Attribution and Purpose Remain Unknown

The identity of those responsible for this defacement is currently unknown.

The motivation behind the incident seems to be the dissemination of low-quality, AI-generated spam.

Previously, official U.S. government websites have been targeted for similar purposes, such as hosting fraudulent advertisements and offering hacking services.

Wider Spam Operation Identified

Reports indicate that the HHS vaccine website is part of a larger spam campaign.

This operation also affects websites belonging to organizations like NPR, Nvidia, and Stanford University.

These compromised sites redirect users to a spam page hosted on wowlazy.com, described as “nonsense SEO spam” by journalist Sam Cole of 404 Media.

Lack of Response from HHS

TechCrunch reached out to HHS for a statement regarding the situation.

As of this moment, HHS has not provided a response.

Further Information

• The compromised domain is owned by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS).
• The defacement was first noted on or around May 12th.
• The spam content is believed to be generated by AI.