France’s Directorate General of Public Finances (DGFiP) has revealed a significant data breach affecting around 680,000 individuals. The breach, which was made public following a hacker’s claim on a forum, involved unauthorized access to DGFiP systems during June and July.
Unauthorized Access and Immediate Response
The breach was discovered after a hacker boasted about infiltrating the tax authority’s internal systems. DGFiP responded swiftly, halting the unauthorized access as soon as it was detected. Initial investigations showed no signs of data extraction at first, but further analysis confirmed the theft of sensitive information.
The attackers reportedly used compromised credentials belonging to an employee and a third-party account to gain entry. This allowed them to access and steal data related to reference tax income, withholding tax rates, company identities, and cadastral information concerning real estate properties.
Extent of the Data Compromise
While DGFiP has assured that usernames and passwords were not among the stolen data, the breach has raised significant concerns. The compromised information includes critical financial and property details, prompting DGFiP to notify France’s data protection authority, CNIL.
The tax authority is continuing its investigation to fully determine the breach’s scope and will directly inform affected individuals. This incident follows a similar cyberattack on another European agency, highlighting a worrying trend of targeted attacks on governmental bodies.
Comparative Analysis with Recent Attacks
The breach at DGFiP comes shortly after Romania’s National Agency for Cadastre and Property Registration (ANCPI) suffered a cyberattack. The ANCPI incident, orchestrated by a hacker group known as ByteToBreach, resulted in the theft of internal documents and employee credentials.
Although Romania’s central cadastral database remained secure, the attack disrupted various services, causing significant operational challenges. Both incidents underscore the growing cybersecurity threats faced by public institutions across Europe.
As DGFiP continues its efforts to manage and mitigate the breach’s impact, other agencies are urged to bolster their cybersecurity measures to prevent similar occurrences in the future.
