France’s Interior Ministry suffered a cyberattack that lasted several days, Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez confirmed. The hackers targeted professional email accounts at the Place Beauvau ministry, which employs nearly 300,000 people. The breach allowed unauthorized access to sensitive police files, triggering immediate concern among officials. Nuñez spoke publicly on Wednesday, detailing the attack and assuring that the government acted quickly to contain it once it was detected.
The intrusion, he explained, exposed multiple internal email accounts and opened the door to highly confidential information. While the full scope of the attack is still under investigation, authorities are working to understand exactly what data the hackers were able to view or extract. Despite the severity, Nuñez emphasized that the breach did not put the public’s safety at risk.
How Hackers Gained Access
The attackers infiltrated the ministry by exploiting vulnerabilities in several professional email inboxes and recovering login credentials. With this access, they were able to browse sensitive police databases, including the Criminal Records Processing System (TAJ) and the Wanted Persons File (FPR). Nuñez said investigators have not yet determined the total extent of the files compromised, though preliminary findings suggest that a few dozen documents may have been removed.
The minister stressed that officials cannot yet say whether the breach affected ongoing investigations. However, he reassured the public that no lives were threatened, and no ransom demands have been received. Authorities are carefully monitoring the situation as the investigation continues.
Official Response and Accountability
Nuñez attributed the breach to lapses in following cybersecurity protocols, noting that repeated reminders about proper security measures are in place. He explained that even a few individuals ignoring these procedures can expose the entire ministry to significant risk.
The attack came to light after BFMTV reported unusual activity targeting the ministry’s email servers. Soon after, a hacker group claimed—without providing evidence—that they had accessed personal data of more than 16 million people. Nuñez rejected the claim, describing it as false. The ministry reported the breach to the CNIL, France’s data protection authority, and initiated an internal administrative investigation.
France’s Anti-Cybercrime Office now leads the official inquiry, while judicial authorities work to identify the perpetrators and prevent further breaches. Nuñez emphasized the ministry’s commitment to strengthening security and preventing similar attacks in the future.
