AUTOSUR, a French company providing vehicle inspection services, suffered a major data breach involving over 12.3 million customer records. The breach, first reported on March 16, 2025, was revealed on the cybercrime forum BreachForums. The compromised data includes highly sensitive personally identifiable information (PII), such as names, phone numbers, email addresses, vehicle details, and license plate numbers. This exposure could lead to significant risks like identity theft, phishing, and fraud.
The leak, posted under the title “[FR] AUTOSUR.fr | Names, Address, License Plates, Phones,” contained over 12 million rows of data. It includes customer names, residential addresses, email addresses, hashed passwords, and vehicle inspection records. Additionally, contact phone numbers and car ownership details were exposed. Experts warn of increased risks of phishing and SIM-swapping attacks using this data. The dataset’s structure also allows attackers to target specific vehicles for theft or fraud.
AUTOSUR operates a network of technical control centers across France, ensuring vehicles meet safety and emissions standards.
The breach’s scale suggests that attackers accessed backend systems storing historical customer data. The exact attack method remains unclear, but the inclusion of bcrypt-hashed passwords hints at insider access or exploitation of database vulnerabilities. While AUTOSUR has not confirmed the breach’s origin, the incident highlights the growing threat to automotive sector data.
French authorities, including ANSSI and Europol, are investigating the breach’s source. The company has notified the relevant authorities, including CNIL, and filed a police report. While AUTOSUR’s official statement is pending, experts recommend affected customers reset passwords, monitor credit reports, and use breach notification services. For organizations, the breach underscores the need for enhanced cybersecurity measures, such as zero-trust architectures and stronger encryption for sensitive data.
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