{"data":{"id":5,"lang":"en","title":"European Space Agency Hit by Massive Data Breach: 500GB of Sensitive Spacecraft Data Stolen","summary":"Hackers steal 500GB of sensitive data from ESA, including spacecraft procedures and contractor information from SpaceX, Airbus, and Thales. The exploited vulnerability reportedly remains unpatched.","category":"technology","category_label":"Technology","published_at":"2026-01-21T21:49:39Z","updated_at":"2026-01-21T21:53:02Z","url":"https://techtools.cz/tools/news/article/5-european-space-agency-hit-by-massive-data-breach-500gb-of-sensitive-spacecraft","api_url":"https://techtools.cz/news-api/v1/articles/5?lang=en","markdown_url":"https://techtools.cz/news-api/v1/articles/5.md?lang=en","image_url":"https://images.unsplash.com/photo-1451187580459-43490279c0fa?w=800","word_count":276,"reading_time_minutes":2,"sources":[],"translation":null,"content":"The European Space Agency (ESA) is facing a major cybersecurity crisis after a hacking group claimed to have stolen 500 gigabytes of highly sensitive technical data from the organization. The breach, attributed to a threat actor group known as Scattered Lapsus$ Hunters, reportedly included operational procedures, spacecraft mission details, subsystems documentation, and proprietary contractor data from major aerospace companies.\n\nThe scope of the breach is particularly alarming due to the high-profile contractors affected. The stolen data reportedly contains information from SpaceX, Airbus Group, Thales Alenia Space, Leonardo, EUMETSAT, and several other major players in the space industry. The breach also impacted various ESA projects, including Greece's national space program and the UK Space Agency's climate-focused TRUTHS (Traceable Radiometry Underpinning Terrestrial- and Helio-Studies) initiative.\n\nPerhaps most concerning is the attackers' claim that the vulnerability they exploited to gain initial access in September 2025 remains unpatched. This raises serious questions about ESA's cybersecurity posture and the integrity of its systems. The agency has since initiated a criminal investigation and is cooperating with judicial authorities.\n\n\"ESA is in the process of informing the judicial authorities having jurisdiction over this cyber incident to initiate a criminal inquiry,\" an ESA spokesperson confirmed. Eric Morel de Westgaver, ESA's director of European, legal and international matters, stated during a press briefing that the agency is fully cooperating with authorities.\n\nThis incident follows closely on the heels of a separate breach disclosed on December 30, 2025, when another attacker operating under the alias \"888\" leaked 200GB of internal ESA development data. The pattern of repeated security incidents highlights the growing challenges space agencies face in protecting sensitive aerospace data from increasingly sophisticated cybercriminal groups."}}