Article 19

New York, April 22, 2013--The Committee to Protect Journalists is alarmed by a death threat sent to the Mexico office of the international freedom of expression organization Article 19.

"Mexican authorities must launch an exhaustive investigation into this threat and bring those responsible to justice," said CPJ Senior Americas Program Coordinator Carlos Lauría. "The authorities have a responsibility to ensure that journalists and defenders of press freedom can work without fear for their safety."

We talk a lot about hacking attacks against individual journalists here, but what typifies an attempt to access a reporter's computer? Joel Simon, CPJ's executive director, received an email last week that reflects some characteristics of a malware attack against a journalist or activist. There was nothing particularly notable about the targeting. (Like many reporters, CPJ receives such attempts occasionally). The attack failed at the first fence, and my casual investigation into the source was inconclusive. There are no shocking answers or big headlines to draw from this attack. But it does illustrate a contemporary reality: Opportunistic assailants regularly shower journalists with software attacks.