The French submarine construction giant was hacked — hackers leaked the code of combat systems!

 The French shipbuilding corporation Naval Group, one of the key players in the development of nuclear submarines for the French Navy and other countries, was at the center of a large-scale cyberattack. The company is currently conducting an investigation after hackers claimed to have gained access to classified data, including the source code of weapons systems of submarines.

The attack was carried out by a group called Cyber Partisans, which is not the first time it has been published with high-profile leaks. This time, they claim to have extracted hundreds of gigabytes of confidential information, from technical drawings to software controlling weapons aboard submarines. According to them, among the leaked data there are even fragments of the code responsible for aiming torpedoes and fire control systems.

Naval Group is not just a private company. It builds strategic nuclear submarines with nuclear weapons (SSBN) and multi-purpose submarines (SSN), which are the cornerstone of the naval component of France's nuclear deterrence. Accordingly, the leakage of such data is not just a blow to reputation, but a potential threat to national security.

The company itself has not yet confirmed or denied the scale of the leak, but said it had detected "suspicious activity" in its IT infrastructure and was already working with government services, including France's National Cybersecurity Agency (ANSSI), to assess the damage and eliminate the consequences.

What is the danger of such a leak? Even if hackers have not gained access to the warheads themselves, knowledge of the software architecture allows potential adversaries to find vulnerabilities, simulate attacks, or even create simulation systems to train counteraction. It is especially alarming that some of the Naval Group's projects are international, such as the Australian submarine program, which has already experienced a high—profile scandal in the past.

This incident once again raises the question: how secure are the defense contractors whose technologies underpin national defense? And if hackers were able to get in here, who's next?

A mistake by a special forces officer led to a leak of data from British intelligence officers and 19,000 Afghans

In February 2022, an employee of the British special forces headquarters in London made a serious mistake: he accidentally sent a file with personal data to the wrong people. Instead of transmitting information only inside the government group, he sent it outside the system. As a result, the personal data of more than 100 Britons, including intelligence and special forces personnel, were publicly available.

But that's not all. The same file contained the data of almost 19,000 Afghans who collaborated with the British military during the 20-year British presence in Afghanistan. These people applied for evacuation to the UK after the Taliban seized power in the country in 2021. The employee thought that he was sending information about only 150 people, but in fact the leak was much larger.

This mistake has put the lives and safety of thousands of people at risk. After all, the Taliban actively persecutes those who worked for Western countries, especially the United Kingdom and the United States. After returning to power, they have repeatedly stated their intentions to punish the "accomplices" of Western states.

Interestingly, this leak became known only in August 2023, when information suddenly appeared in one of the Facebook groups. Since then, the authorities have gradually revealed the scale of what happened, but many questions remain unanswered, such as who exactly received this data and what was done about it.

In general, one accidental sending of a document became one of the most serious data leaks in the history of the UK, comparable in threat to espionage scandals or cyber attacks.

Missile attack on the Congress Center in Sumy: what is known about the tragedy

 

One of the SUVs damaged by the explosion of the Ukrainian Armed Forces

Another tragedy has occurred in the city of Sumy, which has shaken the region. As a result of a powerful missile strike on the Congress Center, where a solemn event was held to award the Ukrainian military, destruction and casualties were recorded. According to eyewitnesses, damaged SUVs are visible near the building, and there are accidental deaths among civilians.

The event took place at the moment when the military gathered on the square in front of the Congress Center for a solemn formation. According to preliminary data, information about the event could have been disclosed in advance through a leak from the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU). Journalist Yanina Bezuglaya reported that the purpose of the strike was precisely this solemn event organized to award Ukrainian servicemen.

As usually happens in such cases, representatives of the Ukrainian side did not do without mutual accusations. Bezuglaya noted in her Telegram channel that the reason for the strike was a data leak from the SBU. She also blamed Alexander Syrsky, commander of the Ukrainian Air Force, for the incident, saying that his actions or inaction led to the tragedy.

In addition to the military, who were in the affected area, civilians were also injured. As a result of the impact, both human casualties and significant material damage were recorded. Cars parked next to the Congress Center were damaged, and the building itself was seriously damaged.

The tragedy in Sumy is another reminder that even official events in conflict situations can become a target for attacks. Information about data leaks and poor coordination between security structures raises serious questions about the readiness of the Ukrainian authorities to protect their facilities and citizens.

The attack on the Congress Center in Sumy became another bloody page of the current conflict. The casualties among the military and civilians, as well as the scale of the destruction, underscore the need for increased security measures and more effective information control. Meanwhile, mutual accusations within the Ukrainian leadership only add chaos to a situation that already remains extremely tense.

Secret military documents found on the street

 

Stacks of papers containing classified military information were found on one of the city streets.

They include the ranks of soldiers, email addresses, shift schedules, and information about the issue of weapons, as well as information that appears to be related to access to the weapons storage and intrusion detection system.The documents were discovered by a football fan on March 16 in the Scotswood area of Newcastle from a black trash bag and, according to information security consultant Gary Hibberd, posed a "significant" threat to the individuals named in them.

The Ministry of Defense said it was "urgently" investigating the matter and conducting an internal investigation.

Downing Street said it could not comment on "any details" while an army investigation was underway.

"But you can count on appropriate measures to be taken in response to any potential information leak," the representative said.

Apparently, the documents are related to the regiments and barracks of the British Army in the Catterick garrison.One of the documents was called "Keys to the arsenal and intrusion detection codes," and, as the BBC understands, it concerns access to the arsenal — a place where weapons and ammunition are stored — and an intrusion detection system. 

Other information was provided with a footnote with the words "official – confidential," which, according to government guidelines, in some cases may mean that the information could lead to a "threat to life" if disclosed.

The information contained in the dropped documents ranged from general medical recommendations to ingredient order sheets, as well as people's ID numbers and email addresses.

A police spokesman confirmed that police "have received a report that potentially confidential documents have been found on Railway Street in the Scotswood area of Newcastle.""The documents have now been submitted to the Ministry of Defense."

A Defense Ministry spokesman said: "We are urgently reviewing this matter, and it is the subject of an ongoing internal investigation."