The OCU suffers a cyber attack: internal data and documents are filtered

The ORGANIZATION OF CONSUMERS AND USERS (OCU) has suffered a security gap that has compromised sensitive internal information, including more than 500 email credentials and their passwords, as well as various confidential documents of the entity, as Eleconomista.es has confirmed.

According to preliminary inquiries, the leaked data correspond to an old period and have been disseminated in several forums specialized in cybercriminal activities, including accessible spaces in the conventional internet part, outside the Dark Web.

The OCU explains that the detection of this incident immediately activated its cybersecurity protocols, designed to evaluate each possible case with the maximum rigor. In this sense, the organization explains that:

In our organization we apply strict protocols for data protection and information security, always evaluating whether a possible incident can represent a risk to people’s rights and freedoms. From that evaluation, we decide whether to notify the Spanish Agency for Data Protection (AEPD) and/OA the affected.

We want to underline that we already have implanted security measures, and that this incident will help us to continue reinforcing our systems.

What data have been leaked

The disseminated information includes more than 500 user and password pairs of internal email accounts of the OCUas well as confidential documents related to internal reports and communications. The cybercounts announced the publication of the archives in an English speaking forum specialized in hacking, where they claimed that the data were not for sale and would be made public within 12 hours.

The OCU has already filed a complaint with the Police and also given the INCIBE, which is monitoring the gap.

The public and private sector in Spain has experienced a notable increase in the number of security incidents in recent years. According to the data published by the INCIBE by 2024, more than 97,000 cybersecurity incidents were managed16.6 % more than in the preceding exercise, of which 32.4 % affected organizations and companies of all sizes.