Hackers launched a cyberattack against France’s Interior Ministry that lasted several days, Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez said.
The attackers focused on professional email accounts within the Place Beauvau ministry, which employs close to 300,000 people. Nuñez confirmed the incident publicly on Wednesday after officials detected suspicious activity inside the ministry’s systems.
According to the minister, the breach allowed unauthorized access to internal email inboxes and opened the way to sensitive police files. He acknowledged the seriousness of the incident while stressing that authorities acted quickly once the intrusion became known.
How the Intrusion Unfolded
Nuñez explained that the attackers gained entry by accessing several professional email inboxes and recovering login credentials. With those credentials, they managed to consult important police databases used by law enforcement across the country.
Among the files viewed were the Criminal Records Processing System, known as the TAJ, and the Wanted Persons File, or FPR. Nuñez said officials still cannot measure the full extent of the breach. At this stage, investigators believe the attackers may have removed a few dozen files from the system.
The minister said he could not determine whether the intrusion compromised ongoing investigations. He emphasized, however, that the breach did not endanger the lives of French citizens. Authorities also confirmed that no ransom demand followed the attack.
Investigations, Accountability, and Official Denials
Nuñez attributed the breach to human error, despite repeated reminders about cybersecurity rules. He said even a small number of people failing to follow procedures can expose an entire institution to attack.
The cyberattack came to light after BFMTV reported last week that the ministry had detected suspicious activity on its email servers. Shortly afterward, a group of hackers claimed, without evidence, that they had accessed data belonging to more than 16 million people.
Nuñez firmly denied those claims and described them as false. He said the ministry notified the CNIL, France’s data protection authority, in line with legal requirements. He also ordered an internal administrative review.
France’s Anti-Cybercrime Office is now leading the investigation, while judicial authorities work to identify the perpetrators as quickly as possible.
