Auto-Planning Confirms Hack Exposing 14 Million French Plates

What the hackers claim to hold

The group, calling itself "Operation GlassLodge" on criminal forums, says it stole more than 200 million rows of data. Some of it reportedly dates back to 2008. Samples include drivers' first and last names, email addresses, phone numbers, plates, vehicle make and model, and appointment dates and times. The hackers say the files list about 92 million appointments and 36,545 PDF invoices, which could contain bank account details (RIB).

They demanded a ransom of $33,333 from Auto-Planning and threatened to publish everything online. Nothing indicates the company has responded. Both Auto-Planning and Auto Contrôle Paris have notified the CNIL, France's data protection authority, as the law requires.

Why it matters

A plate combined with a name, phone number and appointment date makes a scam text highly convincing. Fraudsters could ask victims to pay fake "booking fees" to confirm their next inspection, or to settle a bogus ANTAI fine quoting their real plate. A plate tied to an identity could also enable impersonation, leaving victims with tickets for offences they did not commit. An address paired with a car model might even help thieves target a specific vehicle or an empty home.

This is not the first such leak. In late October, a hacker known as ChimeraZ claimed to have stolen a database of nearly 850,000 French plates linked to owners' names, phone numbers and addresses. Drivers who have booked an inspection through these platforms should be wary of unexpected messages about appointments or fines.