In a recent discovery, SafetyDetectives’ Cybersecurity Team stumbled upon a clear web forum post where a threat actor publicized a database allegedly belonging to Boulanger Electroménager & Multimédia purportedly exposing 5 Million of their customers.

What is Boulanger Electroménager & Multimédia?

Boulanger Electroménager & Multimédia is a French company that specializes in the sale of household appliances and multimedia products.

Founded in 1954, according to their website, Boulanger has physical stores and delivers its products to clients across France. The company also offers an app, which has over 1 million downloads on the Google Play Store and Apple’s App Store.

Where Was The Data Found?

The data was found in a forum post available on the clear surface web. This well-known forum operates message boards dedicated to database downloads, leaks, cracks, and more.

What Was Leaked?

The author of the post included two links to the unparsed and clean datasets, which purportedly belong to Boulanger. They claim the unparsed dataset consists of a 16GB .JSON file with 27,561,591 million records, whereas the clean dataset is comprised of a 500MB .CSV file with 5 million records.

Links to both datasets were hidden and set to be shown after giving a like or leaving a comment on the post. As a result, the data was set to be unlocked for free by anyone with an account on the forum who was willing to simply interact with the post.

Our Cybersecurity Team reviewed part of the datasets to assess their authenticity, and we can confirm that the data appears to be legitimate. After running a comparative analysis, it seems like these datasets correspond to the purportedly stolen data from the 2024 cyberincident.

Back in September 2024, Boulanger was one of the targets of a ransomware attack that also affected other retailers, such as Truffaut and Cultura. A threat author with the nickname “horrormar44” claimed responsibility for the breach.

At the time, the data was offered on a different well-known clear web forum — which is currently offline — at a price of €2,000. Although there allegedly were some potential buyers, it is unclear if the sale was actually finalized. In any case, it seems the data has resurfaced now as free to download.

While reviewing the data, we found that the clean dataset contains just over 1 million rows containing one customer per row and includes some duplicates. While that’s still a considerable number of customers, it’s far smaller than the 5 million claimed by the author of the post.

The sensitive information allegedly belonging to Boulanger’s customers included:

  • Name
  • Surname
  • Full physical address
  • Email address
  • Phone number

This data is sensitive because it could be used by malicious authors to prepare and execute different types of attacks to the affected customers.

 

This is a screenshot of the clearweb forum post where the data is currently shared for free.

 

This is a screenshot of the original post — courtesy of Le Monde Informatique — where the data was offered for sale back in September 2024.

What Risks Does This Data Exposure Pose?

The allegedly leaked data poses a threat to the security and privacy of users affected by the breach, potentially leaving each of them vulnerable to:

  • Phishing attacks: Cybercriminals may use the leaked information to create convincing emails or messages that appear to be from Boulanger. These messages aim to trick individuals into providing more sensitive information or clicking on malicious links.
  • Targeted scams: Armed with knowledge of the individual’s data, scammers could potentially tailor their fraudulent schemes to appear more legitimate and increase their likelihood of success.
  • Social engineering attacks: A social engineering attack occurs when a cybercriminal uses manipulation to deceive a target into revealing confidential information or performing actions that jeopardize security.

What to Do If You Believe Your Data Was Exposed

If you suspect that your personal information was compromised in this data leak, you can take these steps to protect yourself:

  1. Beware of Phishing Attempts: Be cautious of unsolicited emails, messages, or phone calls asking for personal information or payment details. Do not click on links or download attachments from unknown sources.
  2. Update Privacy Settings: Review and update the privacy settings on your social media accounts and other online platforms to limit the amount of personal information visible to the public.
  3. Beware of social engineering attacks: Understand social engineering risks, including phishing and scam attempts. Be cautious and verify the authenticity of any unexpected communication, particularly if it requests personal or financial data.
  4. Report any unusual events: Notify Boulanger of any fraudulent activity or suspicious communications related to this incident. Be wary of sharing information with unknown contacts or unverified sources.

What Are Clearweb Leaks and Why Should You Care?

Hackers utilize various parts of the internet to coordinate attacks, share information, and discuss data breaches. One of the most popular channels hackers use for these purposes are clearweb forums, which are online networks — available to anyone with an internet connection — that allow users to share information about breaches and leaks. These forums provide a sense of anonymity to their members as well as features like paywalling for those users who require payment to access the information they are sharing.

By reporting on these incidents, we aim to proactively inform potentially affected parties earlier so that they can act quickly to protect their data. Our disclosures are rooted in meticulous research and are intended solely for informational and preventive purposes. In no way should these reports be construed as allegations, insinuations, or indicators of fault or negligence by any individual or organization.

Similar Cybersecurity Incidents

In a recent discovery, SafetyDetectives’ Cybersecurity Team stumbled upon a clear web forum post where a threat actor publicized over 200 million records allegedly belonging to X users. The leaked database ostensibly consolidates the data obtained from two X breaches, potentially exposing information from 2.8 billion X users.