The **Royal Belgian Table Tennis Federation (FRBTT)** and its French-speaking counterpart, the **Association Francophone de Tennis de Table (AFTT)**, have confirmed they are investigating a cyberattack. The incident, first reported by **FrenchBreaches**, a website tracking data leaks, suggests a substantial compromise of member and user information. **Jean-Michel Mureau**, president of the **AFTT**, confirmed the attack over the weekend, stating, "We have tasked our IT department with investigating to determine exactly what data was compromised." The federation was alerted last Thursday and promptly engaged its IT provider to assess the extent of the breach. ### Investigation Underway In a statement released Monday, the **AFTT** emphasized that it is taking the incident "very seriously." Initial checks of its own systems and those of its website service provider have not yet revealed direct evidence of infrastructure compromise. As a precautionary measure, the **AFTT** has already strengthened its internal security protocols. While the investigation is ongoing, the **AFTT** has not yet found evidence that sensitive information such as members’ phone numbers or email addresses were accessed or stolen. However, the hacker’s claims paint a more concerning picture. ### Hacker Claims Extensive Data Theft A hacker operating under the alias **Venus1337** has claimed responsibility for the attack, purportedly posting samples of the stolen data online. **Venus1337** asserts to have obtained nearly 1.7 gigabytes of data, encompassing records for over 66,800 members and 17,400 users, alongside administrative accounts belonging to various clubs. The leaked samples reportedly include names, membership numbers, and details concerning sporting sanctions. These claims regarding the volume and categories of data have not yet been independently verified or confirmed by the federations. The **AFTT** has committed to notifying affected individuals and taking all necessary steps should their investigation confirm personal data compromise. ### A Broader Pattern: Gymnastics Federation Also Targeted Notably, **Venus1337** also claimed responsibility for a separate breach affecting Belgium’s French-speaking **Gymnastics Federation (FfG)** just days prior. The **FfG** subsequently confirmed unauthorized access to parts of its IT environment and data extraction. "As soon as the incident was discovered, we called in experts," the **FfG** stated. "The access route used was neutralized, the affected access points were secured, and our systems are now subject to enhanced monitoring." The **FfG** has also informed Belgian cybersecurity and data protection authorities. The potentially compromised information from the **FfG** breach includes names, email and postal addresses, phone numbers, coaching qualifications, judges’ licenses, and details from accident reports. The **FfG** has warned that this information could be used for impersonation or to solicit additional personal data, although no misuse has been observed to date. **Venus1337** claimed to have obtained data on over 200,000 members in this incident, a figure the **FfG** has not publicly verified, despite confirming personal data was affected. ### Regional Cyber Threats to Sports Organizations These Belgian incidents align with a broader trend of cyber threats targeting sports organizations in neighboring France. Since late 2022, over 30 French sports federations, including those for tennis, skiing, swimming, and football, have reportedly experienced cyberattacks or data breaches. While there is no current evidence linking these French incidents to the attacks in Belgium, the pattern highlights a vulnerability within the sports sector. French authorities have been actively addressing these threats. Earlier this month, an 18-year-old suspected member of the **ZeroBytes** hacking group, which claimed responsibility for the **French Handball Federation** breach, was detained. Separately, a 20-year-old was arrested earlier this year for dozens of breaches, including attacks on multiple national sports federations.