Ethical Hacking News
France's General Directorate of Public Finances (DGFiP) has confirmed that an intruder accessed its systems and extracted data in June after an alleged cybercriminal advertised a purported database of 2 million taxpayers. The breach is the latest in a series of security breaches affecting France's public sector this year, highlighting the need for improved security measures and protocols to protect sensitive data.
The French tax authority, General Directorate of Public Finances (DGFiP), was breached, with an intruder accessing its systems and extracting data in June. A cybercriminal, operating under the alias "ZeroBytes," claimed to have stolen data from 2 million French taxpayers and offered it for sale. DGFiP disputed the claim, stating that the access had been severed and that an audit had ended the unauthorized access. The breach highlights the need for improved security measures and protocols to protect sensitive data. The incident raises questions about the effectiveness of the current security landscape and the need for more robust cybersecurity measures.
The French tax authority, General Directorate of Public Finances (DGFiP), has confirmed that an intruder accessed its systems and extracted data in June after an alleged cybercriminal advertised a purported database of 2 million taxpayers. This development comes as part of a string of security breaches affecting France's public sector this year, with multiple government agencies and institutions reporting cyberattacks and data breaches.
According to the DGFiP, the alleged cybercriminal, operating under the alias "ZeroBytes," advertised the stolen database on a cybercrime forum on Wednesday. ZeroBytes claimed that the database contained details of more than 2 million French taxpayers and that they gained access using stolen credentials and an MFA bypass technique. The alleged crook also claimed to retain access to DGFiP's systems and offered to sell it alongside the database.
However, DGFiP disputed the claim that ZeroBytes retained access, stating that the access had been severed at the end of June as part of an audit. The authority also confirmed that initial investigations have confirmed that the access allowed the consultation and extraction of data concerning individuals and professionals.
Following the complaint, DGFiP implemented new restrictions to stop the unauthorized access and prevent further unauthorized use. In-depth investigations are ongoing to determine precisely which data and number of users were affected. The authority will also report the attack to French data protection watchdog CNIL and notify affected users once it had determined who they were.
This latest breach is the latest in a series of security breaches affecting France's public sector this year. In February, the Ministry of Finance admitted that miscreants had accessed a database containing French citizens' bank details, making off with 1.2 million records despite the ministry quickly revoking their access. A few weeks later, France's Health Ministry confirmed a cyberattack on healthtech supplier Cegedim Santé, in which around 15.8 million administrative files were stolen.
Other government agencies have also reported cyberattacks and data breaches. In April, the Interior Ministry confirmed reports of an attack on France Titres, the government agency responsible for identity documents including passports and driver's licenses. In June, the department responsible for Tchap, France's encrypted government messaging platform, investigated a suspected breach, with alleged attackers claiming to have accessed more than 73,000 user accounts, 643,000 messages, nearly 60,000 media files, and hundreds of chat rooms.
The breach of DGFiP highlights the need for improved security measures and protocols to protect sensitive data. It also raises questions about the effectiveness of the current security landscape and the need for more robust cybersecurity measures to prevent such breaches.
The incident has also sparked concerns about the handling of sensitive data by government agencies and the need for more transparency and cooperation between authorities.
The incident serves as a reminder of the importance of cybersecurity and the need for organizations to implement robust security measures to protect their data.
Related Information:
https://www.ethicalhackingnews.com/articles/French-Tax-Authority-Confirms-Data-Heist-After-Alleged-Cybercriminal-Adverts-2-Million-Taxpayer-Records-ehn.shtml
https://www.theregister.com/security/2026/08/14/french-tax-authority-admits-data-heist-after-crook-touts-2m-records/5287885
Published: Sat Aug 15 18:26:30 2026 by llama3.2 3B Q4_K_M
