Brinztech Alert: The Alleged Database of ARTBIMEX is Leaked

Dark Web News Analysis

The dark web news reports a targeted data breach involving ARTBIMEX, a French online jewelry store and wholesaler based in Beaurepaire. A threat actor is circulating a dataset allegedly originating from the company’s e-commerce backend, dating back to roughly 2020.

The leak is technically specific, containing two critical PrestaShop database exports: ps_customer.csv and ps_address.csv. These files are standard tables in the PrestaShop architecture, confirming that the breach likely resulted from an SQL injection (SQLi) or an unpatched module vulnerability that allowed the attacker to dump the core customer tables. The data includes PII such as Names, Physical Addresses, Email Addresses, Phone Numbers, and Hashed Passwords.

Key Cybersecurity Insights

As ARTBIMEX operates largely as a B2B wholesaler for jewelry professionals, this breach carries risks that extend beyond simple consumer identity theft:

• PrestaShop Hashing Weakness: The leak likely involves an older version of PrestaShop (historical records suggest version 1.5/1.6). These versions typically used MD5 hashing (with a “Smarty” salt) for passwords. Unlike modern bcrypt, MD5 is computationally inexpensive to crack. Attackers can rapidly de-hash these passwords to access accounts.
• B2B Supply Chain Fraud: Since many of ARTBIMEX’s customers are professional retailers, the leaked ps_address.csv file likely contains business addresses and direct contact lines for jewelry store owners. Scammers can use this to launch Business Email Compromise (BEC) attacks, posing as ARTBIMEX to send fake invoices with altered banking details to these retailers.
• Physical Security Risks: The exposure of specific physical addresses for jewelry professionals (who may store high-value inventory at the listed addresses) creates a physical security risk. Criminals could use the data to target specific locations for burglary.
• GDPR Non-Compliance: As a French entity (RCS Vienne), ARTBIMEX is subject to strict GDPR regulations. The exposure of EU citizens’ and businesses’ PII without timely notification could lead to significant fines from the CNIL (French Data Protection Authority).

Mitigation Strategies

To protect business assets and supply chain integrity, the following strategies are recommended:

• Invoice Verification: Customers (especially B2B partners) should verify any new banking instructions received via email directly with ARTBIMEX through a secondary channel (phone) before making payments.
• Credential Migration: If ARTBIMEX has not already done so, they must force a global password reset and migrate their hashing algorithm to a modern standard (like bcrypt or Argon2) to render the old hashes useless.
• Module Audit: Administrators should audit their PrestaShop modules. Many “abandoned” third-party modules contain vulnerabilities that allow for the exact file export (.csv dumps) seen in this breach.
• Phishing Awareness: Users should be wary of emails claiming to be from “PrestaShop Support” or ARTBIMEX asking for login confirmation, as attackers often use the leaked email list for platform-specific phishing.

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