Cell phones across several Brazilian states received an unauthorized alert on Saturday morning displaying the word 'misantropi4,' which translates to 'misanthropy.'

Brazil's National Civil Defense warning platform has been temporarily taken offline.

The unauthorized message reached the major cities of São Paulo and Rio de Janeiro.

AI-generated summary was reviewed by a CNN editor.

São Paulo, Brazil CNN Brasil —

An unauthorized alert bearing a mysterious message that was sent to cell phones in several states across Brazil on Saturday morning is suspected to be the work of hackers, the Brazilian government said.

Devices lit up with the word “misantropi4,” an alphanumeric spelling of the Portuguese word “misantropia,” which in English translates to “misanthropy.” The final letter “a” was substituted with a number ‘4’ – a practice often used by hackers and termed “leetspeak.”

The alert – categorized as “extreme” – was initially received in the southern state of Paraná, but a second warning was triggered a…