Computer Hacker Cyber Attack
Once again, the bank details of a group of Belgians are circulating on the internet. It is the second time in a short time that a hacker offers data from Belgians.
The data is offered by an unknown hacker on a forum. Name, date of birth, telephone numbers, e-mail and home addresses and bank account numbers: the dataset contains it all. Data News was able to view the sample data and confirms that the information is correct in many cases. About 240,000 people see their details appear online, a quarter of which have a bank account number.
The sample data that could be viewed by Data News mainly contains data from people in their sixties and over 60s. That the leak does not originate from a Belgian bank is clear from the fact that account numbers are offered from more than one bank.
This data breach is very reminiscent of the data breach of December last year. Then on Christmas Day, the data of 300,000 Belfius customers was put up for sale. Similarities between the two leaks suggest that they are from the same source: the data appears on the same forum as the leak from two weeks ago. The hacker also appears to have ties to call center employees who provide the data – another similarity to the previous leak. At the same time, the data is formatted and designed in a different way.
In other words: it is unclear whether we are dealing with a new data breach and whether it concerns the same data set that appeared earlier. The hacker is very vague about the source of the Belgian data. There is a possibility that the same dataset, originating from the same source, will be offered for sale again. It is equally possible that the data is completely new and comes from a different source.
Prevent abuse
There is currently no way to verify whether your data is in the breach. There is nothing you can do to minimize the consequences of the leak. However, it is recommended to be vigilant in the coming months when opening your emails and the attachments and links that you will receive in this way. Presumably the data will be used to send (targeted) phishing emails to people. So always check whether you trust the sender of a message.
