Hacker Steals French Presidential Candidate Data

As the French presidential race came into full swing, trouble started brewing for the far-right. Police reports state that a hacker made way into sensitive data stored in the National Front party headquarters’ database. The headquarters is the base for the presidential candidate, Jean-Marie Le Pen. The stolen information included a list of the candidate's backers needed to run for office.

The motive behind the electronic theft is believed to be an act to keep Le Pen out of the presidential race. Le Pen, after placing second in the 2002 elections, needs 500 backers in order to run in the current race. He fears that his opponents may be trying to steal the list of potential and already acquired backers in order to persuade them not to sign on or to reverse their decisions.

La Pen has asked police to open the investigation after suspecting that a mole may have leaked the names already, according to Reuters.

The hacker accessed the information using an internet site that specialized in breaking access codes. The news came in a week after the Socialist party reported to police that there had been several burglaries of the party's campaign team.

The investigation is still underway as La Pen is struggling to gain the 100 more backers by March 16, which he is required to have in order to run.