Hackers say Texas city website targeted over state law on gender-affirming care

A hacker group known as SiegedSec revealed this week that it was behind a breach that targeted a Texas government website on Friday.

The group said in a post on Telegram that it targeted the website and stole about 500,000 files in retaliation to the state’s recent decision to ban gender-affirming care for minors, the Daily Dot reported.

“We have decided to make a message towards the U.S government,” the group said. “Texas happens to be one of the largest states banning gender affirming care and for that, we have made Texas our target.”

Texas Gov. Greg Abbott (R) signed a bill earlier this month that would prohibit doctors from prescribing hormone medication to minors or conduct surgeries to change their gender. The law will take effect on Sept. 1. 

Texas is the latest of several states that have passed similar laws.

The hackers said the documents they stole include work orders, employee list, invoices and police reports, the Daily Dot reported.

The city of Fort Worth did confirm the breach in a notice but did not mention the hackers by name or their motive. Officials also said that there’s no evidence at this time that sensitive information was accessed or released.

According to the Daily Dot, the hacking group gained access to the system after it received login credentials from a city employee.

“We targeted Fort Worth mostly because it was a vulnerable target in a list we had, we were checking any government domain associated with Texas,” a member of the group told the Daily Dot in a statement. “This is the start of a campaign against all states banning gender-affirming care, we have a few more attacks planned soon.”