Source: Reuters
Summary
The French government agency responsible for issuing and managing national IDs, passports, and other documents has announced that hackers have stolen the personal information of an unspecified number of citizens. The agency did not disclose the exact number of affected individuals or the type of information stolen. The incident is currently under investigation.
Our Reading
The announcement sounds ambitious in its vagueness.
Another day, another government agency hacked. The French government agency in charge of sensitive documents got hacked, because of course it did. The agency is being tight-lipped about the details, but we can be sure it’s a “sophisticated” attack. The investigation is ongoing, which means we’ll probably never know what really happened.
Déjà Vu All Over Again
This is not the first time a government agency has been hacked, and it won’t be the last. It’s almost as if these agencies are trying to one-up each other in a game of “who can get hacked the most creatively”.
The Usual Suspects
The agency is “investigating” the incident, which is code for “we have no idea what happened”. They’ll probably blame it on “sophisticated hackers” or ” nation-state actors”, because that’s what you do when you don’t know what you’re doing.
The Elephant in the Room
The real question is, what took them so long to notice? Was it a slow leak or a massive dump of data? We’ll probably never know, because the agency is too busy trying to save face.
Business as Usual
In the meantime, the agency will probably assure us that they’re taking “all necessary measures” to prevent future hacks. Because that’s what they always say. And we’ll just have to take their word for it, because who needs transparency when it comes to national security?
The Original Observation
This hack is just another reminder that our personal information is only as secure as the lowest bidder’s firewall.
Author: Evan Null
