Tourist Information Office of Pontarlier

We've observed an uptick in breaches impacting smaller, seemingly low-value targets like local government and tourism sites. These incidents often fly under the radar but can provide attackers with footholds into larger networks or valuable PII on unsuspecting individuals. Our team flagged this particular breach from the Tourist Information Office of Pontarlier because of the sensitive nature of even a small cache of exposed credentials and the potential for password reuse across more critical accounts. What really struck us wasn't the volume of records, but the fact that passwords were stored in plaintext, reflecting a severe lapse in basic security practices.

The French Tourist Site That Left 7,014 Passwords Unprotected

In October 2017, the website for the Tourist Information Office of Pontarlier, a French town, was compromised, exposing 7,014 user records. Discovered on a dark web forum specializing in credential stuffing lists, the breach caught our attention due to the simplicity of the exploit and the fact that the exposed passwords were in plaintext format. The data had been circulating quietly for years, but the persistence of these older breaches in credential stuffing attacks makes them relevant to enterprises today. This incident underscores the broader threat theme of poor security hygiene, even on smaller platforms, becoming a significant risk factor for password reuse and potential downstream attacks.

Key point: Total records exposed: 7,014

Key point: Types of data included: Email addresses, plaintext passwords

Key point: Sensitive content types: PII

Key point: Source structure: Database

Key point: Leak location(s): Dark web forums specializing in credential stuffing lists

Key point: Date of first appearance: 19-Oct-2017

External Context & Supporting Evidence

While this specific breach did not garner widespread media attention, similar incidents targeting smaller organizations are frequently reported. For example, BleepingComputer has covered numerous cases of small business websites being compromised due to outdated software or weak security practices. The implications of plaintext passwords are well documented. As Troy Hunt, creator of Have I Been Pwned, has repeatedly emphasized, storing passwords in plaintext is one of the most egregious security errors a website can make.

Email · Address · Plaintext · Password