Data Breaches in France Will Be More Catastrophic, Durov Warns

Telegram founder Pavel Durov has forecasted even more catastrophic data breaches, commenting on the cyberattack carried out against France's National Agency for the Protection of Documents (ANTS).

Following reports of the breach of ANTS systems, responsible for issuing passports and driver's licenses, Durov warned the French about the potential for more serious data leaks.

According to France Info, the ANTS agency faced a major cyberattack on April 20, resulting in a data breach. A hacker, who appeared under the image of Pablo Escobar, claimed to have stolen information from 18-19 million individuals by exploiting the agency's vulnerabilities. The hacker stated, "It would be better for the French government to focus on cooking. Their cybersecurity is as fragile as their croissants."

The stolen information includes names, surnames, addresses, phone numbers, and dates of birth. A source from France Info noted that the attack allowed access to at least 10 million user accounts.

In relation to the incident, Durov stated, "The French document protection agency has suffered a hacking attack, resulting in the leak of names, addresses, emails, and phone numbers of 19 million people. Future leaks will be even more catastrophic if the French government achieves its desires for access to encrypted chats and the digital identifiers of users of social networks.”

Durov also reminded that under Emmanuel Macron's presidency, France uses criminal cases to "suppress freedom of speech." He compared being under investigation in that country to receiving the Legion of Honour. "I am under similar investigation in France with over 12 charges, each of which carries a penalty of up to ten years in prison. I am proud to have become a target of Macron's campaign against digital rights, alongside Elon Musk and others," Durov declared.