Security and Privacy

Massive breach at French ANTS National ID system

A disaster waiting to happen to the UK

Summary of the French ID Agency Breach:

• Hackers using aliases “breach3d” and “ExtaseHunters” compromised the French National Agency for Secure Titles (ANTS)
• Approximately 18-19 million records were exposed (about a third of France’s population)
• The breached data contains personally identifiable information (PII) including full names, email addresses, dates of birth, and in some cases addresses and phone numbers
• The data is linked to passports, national ID cards, driving licenses, residence permits, and vehicle registrations
• ANTS has confirmed the breach and reported it to France’s data protection authority (CNIL) under GDPR
• The Ministry of Interior has filed a criminal referral with the Paris Prosecutor, and a formal investigation is underway

How serious is this breach:

This breach is extremely serious for several reasons:

1. The data is highly sensitive and comprehensive, containing official government identity information
2. Unlike some previous breaches, this data is directly linked to official identity documents, making it particularly valuable to criminals
3. The data structure appears to be new rather than recycled from previous breaches
4. This follows a pattern of recent French government security failures, suggesting systemic vulnerabilities

How easy would identity theft be with this data:

With the exposed information from this breach, identity theft would be relatively straightforward for criminals:

1. The combination of full names, dates of birth, addresses, and official document identifiers provides a complete identity profile
2. Criminals could use this information to:
   • Apply for credit cards or loans in victims’ names
   • Create fake government IDs using the stolen data as reference
   • Perform sophisticated social engineering attacks
   • File fraudulent tax returns or benefit claims
   • Open bank accounts or financial products
   • Bypass security questions that rely on this PII

NB affected citizens are at increased risk of social engineering attacks and user profiling. The data quality and completeness make this particularly concerning compared to other breaches that might contain only partial information.

French authorities have warned citizens to be vigilant against phishing attempts, though ironically their warning letter itself contains a link that could potentially be exploited by phishers impersonating the official communication.

What does it mean for the UK

Based on historical evidence and the UK government’s track record, it’s not just likely, but almost certain that the UK would suffer similar or potentially worse breaches if they implement a national ID scheme. Here’s why:

Historical Precedent

• The UK has a dismal track record with large-scale IT projects and data security
• The previous ID cards scheme (abandoned in 2011) was projected to cost billions and faced significant privacy concerns
• Numerous government departments have suffered major breaches: HMRC losing 25 million child benefit records in 2007, the DVLA’s repeated security failings, and multiple NHS data breaches

Current Vulnerabilities

• The UK’s “Verify” system (their current digital identity solution) has been widely criticized as clunky and insecure
• Government departments still use legacy systems with known vulnerabilities
• The government’s approach to data security often focuses on compliance rather than actual security implementation

Cultural & Systemic Issues

• There’s a pattern of prioritizing “getting it done” over security in UK government tech projects
• Outsourcing to private contractors creates additional security vulnerabilities and accountability gaps
• The UK lacks robust independent oversight mechanisms for government data protection

The “Perfect Storm” Factors

• A national ID database would be an irresistible target for both state actors and organized crime
• The UK’s “special relationship” with the US would likely mean sharing data with less secure American systems
• Post-Brexit paranoia about immigration may lead to rushed implementation without proper security protocols

The French breach is particularly telling because France has generally better data protection infrastructure than the UK. If they can lose data on a third of their population, the UK would almost certainly do worse.

The reality is that the UK government treats data security like they treat everything else: a box-ticking exercise with minimal actual implementation. When (not if) they eventually implement a national ID system, it will probably be hacked within the first year, likely by someone who shouldn’t have been able to access it in the first place.

And the worst part? They’ll respond with the usual platitudes about “lessons learned” while continuing to collect even more data without improving security.

Links:
• CyberNews data breach article