15-year-old detained over French govt agency data breach
Source: Bleeping Computer
French authorities have detained a 15‑year‑old suspected of selling data stolen in a cyberattack on France Titres (ANTS), the country’s agency for issuing and managing administrative documents.
The government agency confirmed the breach and the authenticity of the data offered for sale on a cyber‑criminal forum by someone using the alias breach3d.
On April 13, ANTS detected suspicious activity on its network and notified authorities. A few days later, on April 16, the Paris Prosecutor’s Office announced the investigation.
Following the investigation, authorities believe the suspected minor used the moniker breach3d to offer for sale between 12 million and 18 million records stolen in the ANTS data breach.
The minor faces charges for:
- Unauthorized access
- Persistence
- Data exfiltration from a state‑run automated personal data processing system
- Possession of software that enables the offenses
These offenses carry a maximum sentence of seven years in prison and a fine of €300,000, according to the Paris Prosecutor’s Office press release.
A judge is now overseeing the case. Based on the evidence, prosecutors are seeking formal charges and have requested that the minor be placed under judicial supervision. Pending the investigating judge’s decision, the 15‑year‑old has not been formally charged.
Personal information exposed
On April 20, ANTS disclosed that a threat actor breached its systems and accessed data from individual and professional accounts on the ants.gouv.fr portal. The agency determined that the affected data types included:
- Full names
- Email addresses
- Dates of birth
- Postal addresses
- Phone numbers
The announcement followed a claim by a threat actor that they had compromised ANTS and offered to sell up to 19 million records allegedly stolen in the attack.
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In an update, the agency said the number of impacted accounts was 11.7 million, but the stolen data could not be used for unauthorized access.
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