Cyberattack Targets France's Naval Group, Exposes Scorpene-Class Submarine Data
French defense firm Naval Group, responsible for the production of India’s Scorpene-class submarines, has reportedly been hit by a significant cyberattack. The perpetrators claim to have acquired up to 1 terabyte of confidential information, including the source code for the combat management and weapon systems integrated into the submarines the company manufactures.
Although Naval Group has not verified any breach of their systems, the company recognized the cyberattack, characterizing it as a “reputational attack” amid ongoing international and commercial tensions. Reports suggest that the hackers have already made 30 gigabytes of the data available online and have issued a threat to release additional information unless the company responds within 72 hours.
The compromised files purportedly contain the source code for submarine systems, which could have serious repercussions. Access to this code might enable adversaries to analyze internal algorithms, study authentication processes, or identify security vulnerabilities, thereby posing a risk to submarine fleets worldwide.
Naval Group, which has partnered with Mazagon Dock Shipbuilders to deliver six Scorpene-class submarines to the Indian Navy, stated officially that no breaches had been detected in its IT infrastructure so far. The company also mentioned that all necessary resources were being utilized to verify the authenticity, origin, and ownership of the leaked data and that it is working in collaboration with the French government.
This incident is not unprecedented for Naval Group. In 2016, the company experienced a similar breach when over 22,000 pages of classified documents related to India’s Scorpene submarines were leaked, raising significant concerns about India’s submarine warfare capabilities.
Aside from India, nations such as Malaysia, Indonesia, and Chile also operate Scorpene-class submarines. If this recent breach is confirmed, it could have extensive implications for global naval security and the international supply chains of arms manufacturers.
