French tax system hit by 'illegitimate access' in late June, Bercy announces

France's tax authority, the Direction générale des Finances publiques (DGFiP), has confirmed it was the victim of an "illegitimate access" to its information systems in late June. The breach allowed for the consultation and extraction of data concerning both individuals and professionals, Bercy announced Thursday.

The Ministry of Economy and Finance stated that a malicious actor claimed responsibility for the intrusion on Wednesday. The hacker, using the pseudonym ZeroBytes, asserted they had compromised several internal servers of the tax administration. Initial investigations confirm that the access, which was terminated at the end of June during ongoing controls, did permit the viewing and removal of data.

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the consultation and extraction of data concerning individuals and professionals

Bercy has not yet specified the exact nature of the data compromised or the number of taxpayers affected. The ministry's announcement follows the hacker's claim of having accessed a tool used for searching information on individuals and companies, and extracting 678,438 lines of data.

Further details are expected as the investigation into the cyberattack progresses.

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the first investigations confirm that this access, which had been cut off at the end of June as part of the control operated, nevertheless allowed the consultation and extraction of data concerning individuals and professionals