US Vaccine Site Hacked with AI Spam
Government Vaccine Portal Compromised by AI-Generated Content
A critical U.S. government vaccine information portal has been compromised, with hackers replacing legitimate content with obvious AI-generated spam. The website, operated by the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), now hosts irrelevant LGBTQ+ themed posts instead of vital public health information.
Months of Undetected Spam Content
According to archived versions, the Spanish-language vaccines.gov subdomain (es.vaccines.gov) has displayed questionable content since at least May 12. The nature of these posts suggests they were mass-produced by artificial intelligence, containing the hallmark signs of SEO spam content with no clear purpose beyond confusion and disruption.
Part of Broader Spam Network
The incident appears connected to a larger cybercrime operation targeting high-profile domains. A recent investigation by 404 Media revealed similar defacements affecting websites belonging to:
- NPR
- Nvidia
- Stanford University
All compromised sites redirect visitors to wowlazy.com, described by journalists as a “nonsense SEO spam page” targeting search engine rankings.
Government Websites: A Growing Target
This isn’t the first time cybercriminals have exploited government domains. Previous attacks have transformed official websites into platforms for:
- Scam advertisements
- Black market services
- Malware distribution
Experts speculate these incidents expose vulnerabilities in government web infrastructure, particularly in managing subdomains and redirects.
No Official Response Yet
As of reporting time, HHS has not publicly addressed the breach or explained how the spam content remained undetected for weeks. The agency declined TechCrunch’s request for comment, leaving unanswered questions about the hack’s duration.
Digital security analysts warn that such attacks threaten both public trust in government resources and the integrity of official communications channels – especially concerning sensitive health information.