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Date Published: 29/02/2024

Murcia police arrest cybercriminal who stole data of 40 million vehicles

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The hacker accessed licence plate information belonging to drivers all across Spain

Murcia police arrest cybercriminal who stole data of 40 million vehicles

The Spanish National Police have arrested a cybercriminal who had managed to obtain the data of more 40 million vehicle license plates, along with the private information of their owners. The suspect, whose identity remains anonymous, exploited a computer vulnerability in the online forms of various autonomous communities, including the Region of Murcia, to gather the massive dataset.

According to police sources, the accused had been extracting data since 2020, taking advantage of a weakness in the computer systems of the General Directorate of Traffic (DGT). The suspect's modus operandi involved low-intensity, non-detectable extractions, which is why the hacker went undetected for such a long time.

The police operation began in January, after investigators were alerted to the unauthorised access of around 80,000 records from the DGT's database. Further investigation revealed that the arrested individual had also managed to hack other official websites throughout Spain using the same methods.

The primary motive behind the cybercrime, according to police sources, was to create a "quick and marketable query system." This is good news for those involved, sine the authorities don’t think the stolen data as passed on to any other criminal organisations for further illicit use.

The hacker now faces charges of discovery and disclosure of secrets, a serious offence punishable by a prison sentence. The case is currently under investigation by the Court of Instruction number 7 of Murcia.

In other news: Extraordinary drought to be declared in Murcia this Friday

Image: Freepik

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