The Texas Department of Agriculture website was the victim of a "defacement."
"Hacked by Iranian hacker," the website said in bold, capital letters on Tuesday.
So apparently the Texas Department of Agriculture website has been hacked... pic.twitter.com/gfFNFGyKuK
— José Santos Portugal (@JSPortugal3) January 7, 2020
It continues: "Hacked by Shield Iran #theloserteam," in smaller letters.
News outlets such as the Fort Worth Star-Telegram and Vice originally reported the incident as a hack, but the Department of Agriculture debunked that explanation in a statement released Wednesday.
"The Texas Department of Agriculture was the victim of a website defacement on Tuesday morning as were other organizations in other states," it reads. "The attack was not a hack and TDA staff have addressed the issue. No data was exposed or lost. It was fixed quickly and is under investigation by state and federal agencies.
Shield Iran also has claimed responsibility for recent incidents targeting the Sierra Leone Commercial Bank, the South Alabama Veterans Council and US Federal Depository Library Program.
The episode comes on the heels of a U.S. airstrike that killed the leader of the elite Iranian Quds Force Qasem Soleimani, which has elevated tensions between an already tense relationship between the United State and Iranian governments.
