Spanish Police Investigate Alleged Sales Of Data On Millions Of Online Drivers

Illustration of online vehicle drivers (photo: dock. pexels)

JAKARTA - Spanish police announced that they are investigating whether personal information from millions of vehicle drivers has been offered for online sale after traffic authorities detected attempts to breach data earlier this month.

Two weeks ago, the Directorate General of Traffic (DGT) of Spain, detected suspicious activity from users trying to access their database. The DGT then blocked the access and informed the Traffic Investigation and Analysis Group (GIAT), which then opened an investigation, Police Guardia Civil said.

The DGT database contains detailed information, including vehicle license plates and insurance data, about more than 27 million drivers registered in Spain. An anonymous user claims in a post on the BREAKForums hacking crime forum that they have "access to search for any license plate or document number" and sell the entire DGT database.

"We have to see if there is any truth in what is said. In data sales forums, they often claim to sell something they don't actually have," said a DGT spokesman.

Over the past month, Spain's three largest companies - telecommunications giant Telefonica, lender Santander, and energy company Iberdrola - reported experiencing cyber attacks resulting in data breaches of employees and customers.

According to a report from the National Department of Security, the total number of cyberattacks registered last year nearly doubled from 2022 to more than 100,000 incidents, 130 of which were classified as "critical".