Portugal’s National Emergency and Civil Protection Authority (ANEPC) has confirmed a cyberattack on the country’s national firefighters’ database, potentially exposing sensitive personal information belonging to thousands of firefighters.
In a statement issued on Saturday (October 24), ANEPC confirmed that unauthorised access had been gained to data held in the National Register of Portuguese Firefighters (RNBP).
The authority said it had temporarily suspended the affected application while implementing additional security measures.
According to information obtained by Lusa news agency, the breach allowed hackers to access a wide range of personal information, including firefighters’ full names, citizen card numbers, tax identification numbers, social security numbers, healthcare identification numbers, driving licence details, dates of birth, marital status, addresses, telephone numbers, photographs and blood groups.
The database contains approximately 60,000 records, according to António Nunes, president of the Portuguese Firefighters’ League (LBP), who confirmed the incident but stressed that no banking information was stored in the system.
Firefighters warned of possible scams
Following the attack, ANEPC issued an internal warning to regional command centres and fire services across Portugal, urging firefighters to remain particularly vigilant against potential fraud attempts.
The authority warned that stolen personal information could be used in phishing attacks, fraudulent text messages, telephone scams or malicious QR codes designed to direct victims to fake websites.
Firefighters have been advised to exercise particular caution when receiving unexpected calls, messages or emails requesting personal information, asking them to click on links or directing them to complete online forms.
Anyone receiving suspicious communications should verify their authenticity through the established command structure of their fire service.
ANEPC emphasised that official communications, particularly those involving personal data updates, are normally transmitted through institutional channels.
Questions over notification of affected firefighters
The Portuguese Firefighters’ League acknowledged the security breach and said individual notifications should have been sent to everyone registered in the database.
The RNBP covers firefighters throughout Portugal, including command personnel, active firefighters, reservists and honorary members.
ANEPC said it would continue strengthening its information systems and taking measures to protect personal data.
The authority has not disclosed when the attack occurred, how long hackers may have had access to the database or whether the stolen information has subsequently been misused.