Data leaks: a Cybermonth guide on how to react
Checked on
Published on
- The CNIL and Cybermalveillance.gouv.fr explain how to respond after personal data has leaked.
- Check whether a notification is genuine, and watch out for reused passwords and suspicious messages.
- This article looks back at a guide published on 1 October at the end of the month. It is not a breaking report of new damage.
In this article
The resource presented
On 1 October, the CNIL and Cybermalveillance.gouv.fr presented a guide to data breaches, with actions running from discovery up to day 30. This article revisits that resource; it does not announce a new attack on the 31st.
Understanding a leak
Names, contact details or account information can be disclosed to unauthorised people. The right response depends on the data involved. A leak notification does not, on its own, prove that money has been stolen from every account.
Checking calmly
Start by reading the organisation’s official communication to identify the data concerned. Open its official website yourself rather than giving information through a suspicious link. The public guide helps you work out the appropriate steps.
The institution and the vocabulary
The CNIL is the independent French authority responsible for protecting personal data. A leak is an unwanted disclosure; phishing tries to trick a person into giving up information. These terms help you read an incident notification.
Learn the grammar
French grammar
Learn sentence patterns and usage from the article’s own sentences.
01Negation and its scope
ne / n’ … pas · ne … plus
Cet article revient sur cette ressource ; il n’annonce pas une nouvelle attaque survenue le 31.Key pointsNormally ne and pas wrap the verb. Before a vowel, ne becomes n’. Check which part of the sentence the negation covers. Ne … plus means “no longer”.
02Pouvoir: ability and possibility
peut / peuvent / pourrait + infinitive
Des noms, coordonnées ou informations de compte peuvent être divulgués à des personnes non autorisées.Key pointsPut a base-form verb after pouvoir. Peut means “can” or “may”; the conditional pourrait gives a more reserved possibility, “might”. It does not necessarily mean implementation is settled.
03Purpose with pour
pour + infinitive
Commencez par consulter la communication officielle de l’organisme pour identifier les données concernées.Key pointsThis is the purpose, “in order to…”. Put the base form of a verb after pour. The purpose stated here is separate from whether the effect was actually achieved.
04The present of être
est / sont + complement
La CNIL est l’autorité indépendante française chargée de la protection des données personnelles.Key pointsEst is third-person singular and sont third-person plural of être. They express “is / are” — a state or description. If a past participle follows, it is a different structure such as the passive, so check the words that follow.
05Coordination with et
word / group / clause + et + …
À la fin du mois de sensibilisation, retour sur la ressource de la CNIL et de Cybermalveillance.gouv.fr, de la découverte d’une fuite jusqu’à J+30.Key pointsEt joins not only words but also groups of nouns and whole clauses. Spot the two elements playing the same role to break up a long sentence. Et does not necessarily express cause and effect.
06Definite articles
le / la / l’ / les + noun
Le 1er octobre, la CNIL et Cybermalveillance.gouv.fr ont présenté un support consacré aux violations de données, avec des actions allant de la découverte jusqu’à J+30.Key pointsLe is masculine singular, la feminine singular and les plural. Before a vowel or a silent h, singular le and la become l’. The definite article points to something already known or a general concept, so look at the context.
Japanese grammar
Understand the structure and usage from the text.
01Polite negation and plain form
〜ではありません / 〜ではない
この記事は既存の案内を紹介するもので、31日に新しい被害が起きたという報道ではありません。Key pointsThey negate a noun and similar content. “ではありません” is the polite form and “ではない” the plain form. “成立ではありません” shows that it cannot be said to have been concluded.
02Giving examples with など
noun / expression + など
名前、連絡先、アカウント情報などが、意図しない相手に知られることがあります。Key points“暴言など” gives “abusive language” as one example. It is not necessarily a closed list of only the things named. It also helps when reading the scope of a news story.
03The polite past ました
verb stem (連用形) + ました
CNILとCybermalveillance.gouv.frは10月1日、個人情報流出への対処をまとめた資料を紹介しました。Key pointsIn “発表しました”, ました makes a verb polite past. The negative is “ませんでした”. Read the actual date together with the date and time in the text.
04Treating a clause like a noun with こと
plain-form sentence + こと + particle
「情報が流出した」という知らせだけで、すべての口座からお金が盗まれたと判断することはできません。Key points“〜すること” treats an action or content like a noun. The particle after it (が・を・は…) shows its role in the sentence. “ことができる” is a fixed combination meaning “can”.
05Possibility in Japanese: できる・られる
verb potential form / 〜ことができる
発覚した日から30日後まで、必要な行動を確認できる内容です。Key pointsできる is the basic verb for ability. The potential form of 受ける is 受けられる. The same られる can also be passive or honorific, so decide from the meaning of the sentence.
06Linking actions with the て-form
verb て-form + next expression
具体的な対応は、公的な対処ガイドで確認してください。Key pointsThe て-form links actions in a series, in order or as a reason. In “確認して、出発する” the relation is judged from the content. In “〜ている” it can show an action in progress or a continuing state.