Brinztech Alert: The Alleged Database of FFESSM is on Sale

Dark Web News Analysis

The dark web news reports a highly sensitive data breach involving the Fédération Française d’Études et de Sports Sous-Marins (FFESSM), the official French federation for diving and underwater sports. A threat actor on a hacker forum is selling a massive database allegedly containing 949,486 adherent records and 108,853 medical certificates.

The total size of the leak is a staggering 85GB. The compromised fields include Full Names, Physical Addresses, Email Addresses, Phone Numbers, Dates of Birth, License Information, and critically, the actual files or details of Medical Certificates. This represents nearly a complete roster of the French diving community.

Key Cybersecurity Insights

Breaches involving sports federations that require medical clearance are exceptionally dangerous because they cross the line from standard PII into “Special Category Data” (Health Data):

• Medical Identity Theft: The exposure of Medical Certificates is a critical privacy violation. This document certifies a person’s physical fitness to dive. In the wrong hands, this health data can be used for insurance fraud or blackmail, particularly if the certificates reveal underlying conditions.
• GDPR “Red Zone”: Under GDPR, health data is subject to the strictest protection standards. For a French organization like FFESSM, leaking 100,000+ medical documents is a catastrophe that will likely trigger an immediate investigation and potentially massive fines from the CNIL.
• Targeted “Diver” Phishing: Divers buy expensive equipment. Attackers can use the License Information to target victims with highly specific scams: “Your FFESSM Level 2 certification is expiring. Pay the renewal fee here,” or fake offers for high-end diving gear (regulators, computers) that never arrives.
• Physical Security: The combination of Home Addresses and the knowledge that the victim engages in an expensive hobby (diving) suggests a household likely to contain valuable sporting goods, increasing the risk of targeted burglary.

Mitigation Strategies

To protect members and regulatory compliance, the following strategies are recommended:

• CNIL Notification: FFESSM must urgently declare this breach to the CNIL and notify every single member whose medical data was exposed, as required by law.
• Scam Alert: Members should be warned to ignore emails asking for license renewal fees or medical updates unless they are logged directly into the secure FFESSM portal.
• Data Minimization: This incident highlights the risk of storing medical documents indefinitely. Organizations should review their retention policies and delete sensitive health records that are no longer legally required.
• Password Hygiene: Members should change their passwords on the federation website immediately.

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