A group of hackers have allegedly hacked a database holding all of Argentina’s driver’s licenses, requesting a payment of $3,000 USD for whoever wishes to purchase the images of Argentine licenses.
The Breach:
Among those leaked in a “sample” include the licenses of Argentine President Javier Milei, alongside several public officials, including Patricia Bullrich, the Minister of Security, and Luis Petri, the Minister of Defense, while a number of individuals in the entertainment industry have also had their licenses compromised.
The database held an estimated 5.7 million driver’s licenses, which when compromised can be used for a number of fraudulent activities such as opening bank accounts, taking out loans, rerouting mail, creating fake IDs, and even completely stealing a victim’s identity by combining information from different compromised sources to create a new “synthetic” identity.
The photos include a number of personal details, including names, nationality, date of birth, place of residence, and blood type, among other key identifiers.
The hacker group blasted Milei’s government in their statement, claiming that Milei, much like the nation’s previous President, Alberto Fernández, who “didn’t care about citizens.” while “Milei seems to also disregard his citizens.”
“He has no cyber defense plan, HE DOESN’T CARE AT ALL.” The hackers continued.
The hackers are allegedly the same group that previously leaked data from Argentina’s National Registry of Persons (RENAPER), a government agency that is responsible for the registration and identification of anyone residing in Argentina and chronicles the information of residents’ throughout their lives. RENAPER is also responsible for issuing Argentina’s National Identity Document, a document that is required for voting, payments, military service, and a number of other formalities.
“There’s a political message between the lines,” Julio López, an expert on cybersecurity, told TN. “This is not about a group of pirates stealing data and putting it up for sale; this is a clear political message.”
The Argentine government has not commented on the breach at this time.
Analysis:
While it remains unclear if the hacker or hackers exposed the data for a political message or for personal profit, their claims that Milei “doesn’t care at all” could very well point in the direction that the breach was intended to be a political statement.
This data breach follows President Milei’s “Chainsaw Plan,” in which the President has launched a number of budget cuts in an effort to reform the Argentine economy, which faces inflation standing at 200%, poverty, and a depreciating currency. Milei has placed these challenges squarely on the shoulders of the state, claiming that a “political caste” within the country has led to Argentina’s decline.
This slashing of government budgets may have contributed to the data breach, or more likely, allowed another breach to happen, with previous breaches being recorded in 2021 and later in March 2024. By failing to either hold state employees accountable or due to the withholding of funding, Milei’s government may have contributed to the breach by not providing proper security for Argentine citizens.
