The key facts
- Databases of three vehicle inspection companies belonging to the SGS group were breached
- Data on 23 million motorists and 40 million registration numbers was stolen
- The leak included names, addresses, car models and customer records
Data leak affecting 23 million motorists
In France, hackers gained access to the personal information of 23 million car owners by breaching the databases of vehicle inspection services. The scale of the leak was reported by the French TV channel TF1, whose figures are cited by Life.ru. According to the channel, the attackers stole information on 40 million vehicle registration numbers, as well as data on vehicle models, customer records, and car owners' names and addresses.
Which companies were affected by the attack
The cyberattack affected three vehicle inspection companies — Securitest, Auto Securite and Verif'Autos. All three services are part of the international SGS group. Thus, the leak covered not just one site but several vehicle inspection operators at once, united by a common corporate structure, which explains the scale — the data affected a significant portion of French motorists.
Context: another major attack in France
This is not the only major cyberattack in France reported recently. Earlier, Life.ru reported an attack on the banking group Crédit Mutuel Arkéa, from which about 118 million euros were stolen. Bank representatives confirmed the fraudulent transactions but assured that customers' funds and other assets were not affected. Unlike the vehicle inspection story, which involves the theft of personal data, the bank attack led to direct financial losses — meanwhile, the fate of the driver information stolen from the vehicle inspection operators and the possible risks to them are not yet disclosed in the publications.
