Two weeks, two major data leaks … not a good look for the European Space Agency

exclusive The European Space Agency on Wednesday confirmed yet another massive security breach, and told The Register that the data thieves responsible will be subject to a criminal investigation. And this could be a biggie.

Earlier in the week, Scattered Lapsus$ Hunters told us that they gained initial access to ESA's servers back in September by exploiting a public CVE, and stole 500 GB of very sensitive data. This, we're told, includes operational procedures, spacecraft and mission details, subsystems documentation, and proprietary contractor data from ESA partners including SpaceX, Airbus Group, and Thales Alenia Space, among others. 

And, according to the crims, the security hole remains open, giving them continued access to the space agency's live systems. 

"ESA is in the process of informing the judicial authorities having jurisdiction over this cyber incident to initiate a criminal inquiry," an ESA spokesperson said via email. The agency declined ...