Hackers claim to have stolen 2.9 terabytes of data from Machelen municipality

A hacker collective claims to have stolen 2.9 terabytes of data from the municipal administration of Machelen, a municipality in Flemish Brabant near Brussels. The hackers are offering the data for sale on the darknet for about 1.5 million euros, according to reports by Gazet van Antwerpen and Het Nieuwsblad on Wednesday 28 October 2026.

According to the hackers' own description, the data includes passports, identity cards, medical files and a complete database of the OCMW. The OCMW is the public social welfare centre that provides financial and social assistance to residents in Belgian municipalities. Het Nieuwsblad describes the material as particularly sensitive information.

The hack has not been formally confirmed. The credibility of the claim is still being investigated, so it is not yet clear whether the hackers actually hold the data they describe.

What is known so far

The details of what is supposedly on offer come only from the hackers' description. The data is described as publicly available, and the asking price is about 1.5 million euros. No further information has been given about how the data may have been obtained.