Crypto: Massive Leak Of Personal Data In France, 95 Million Potential Victims

The protection of our personal data has become a major concern, whether we are part of the crypto community or simply citizens. But a recent revelation is likely to cause panic, especially in France. With 95 million compromised data, the sensitive information of many French people is at the mercy of cybercriminals. A massive hack has revealed phone numbers, emails, and many other confidential data.

Alert: A massive data theft in France

After the mishap leaving several websites linked to the Paris Olympics hacked, here is some news that sends chills down the spine: a database containing over 95 million French documents was left open to the winds of the Web. This 30 GB “treasure”, exposed to all, groups information from no less than 17 distinct security breaches.

▪️@CyberNews research▪️ A massive leak has exposed 95 million records belonging to French citizens.#CyberSecurity #dataleak #DataSecurity #infosec #France https://t.co/A47DL1p0Qx

— CyberNews (@CyberNews) September 25, 2024

Names, phone numbers, email addresses, and even partial payment information are now out in the wild. Adding to this, the fact that the French population is 67 million, it means that there are potentially more files than French people!

The companies involved? A fine collection ranging from the telecom giant SFR to household appliance sellers like Darty, to social networks such as Discord and Snapchat. As a bonus, there are also data from Intersport and Go Sport.

In other words, this hack affects a wide variety of sectors, from e-commerce to telecommunications.

To make matters worse, the data was not even secure! According to experts, this enormous leak could lead to waves of phishing, identity theft, and much worse. As one researcher noted, “the scale of this data theft is unprecedented, and the consequences for the French could be severe.“

Hacking: a breach that could have been avoided

This hack was made possible by an unfortunate oversight: a misconfiguration of the Elasticsearch server, a tool used to search and analyze data in real time. This server, exposed to the public, did not require any authorization to access sensitive files, a real Eldorado for cybercriminals looking for easy prey.

A godsend, some would say, for hackers who did not even have to force a lock.

Among the exposed files, file names such as “lyca scrappe.txt” or “snapchat SQL.txt” suggest the companies concerned by these successive hacks. And this is only the tip of the iceberg: information from various services, including telecommunications and social networks, mix in this historic data leak.

• 95 million files affected;
• 17 distinct security breaches;
• A total leak of 30 GB.

Experts agree that this leak could have been avoided with better cybersecurity management. However, companies seem to underestimate the importance of constant monitoring of their infrastructures. The victims, meanwhile, will have to be extra vigilant in the face of upcoming attacks.

Crypto and cybersecurity: Is Web3 to the rescue?

In a context where cybersecurity is on everyone’s lips, traditional solutions seem to no longer suffice. Hackers are becoming more and more creative, so how to cope? The answer might come from Web3 and emerging technologies like blockchain. Indeed, the crypto world is starting to organize to strengthen user security and anticipate threats.

This is where alternatives like DePIN technology (Decentralized Physical Infrastructure Networks) come into play, positioning themselves as a bulwark against these kinds of threats. Whatever tomorrow’s Ethereum (ETH) resembles a promise of security and confidentiality.

Unlike conventional solutions, which are often ineffective against the complexity of current attacks, Web3 relies on decentralization and community participation to better detect and counter cyberattacks.

The model is simple: the blockchain helps to secure and trace data, making it more difficult for cybercriminals to target users. A fine innovation to hope to counter attacks as massive as the one that hit France. If the crypto world manages to integrate such solutions on a large scale, cybersecurity could finally take a decisive step forward.

In short, the massive hacking that exposed millions of French data highlights the flaws in current cybersecurity. However, thanks to Web3 technologies and the efforts of the crypto industry, solutions like DePIN give us hope for a more secure future, free from cyber threats, or simply stay safe.