Hackers stage major raids on French tax computers

Hackers have stolen sensitive financial data from French tax and land registry computers, French authorities confirmed on Friday. Two separate cyberattacks on the General Direction of Public Finance's (DGFiP) computer system occurred in June and July. The first assault in June reportedly stole details on over 678,000 individuals and professional accounts, including names, income references, and tax rates paid.

The second breach in July targeted 200,000 land registry accounts, involving around two million individuals who own property.

The so-called "Zerobytes" hacking group claimed responsibility for both attacks on a dark-web forum. This group has been linked to previous hacks of French government computers. According to Zerobytes, they possessed data on 250,000 land registry accounts, impacting about two million property owners. The intruders asserted access to a virtual private network (VPN) utilized by tax officials.

France is frequently targeted by cybercriminals, as reported by cybersecurity experts. In April, the ANTS agency, responsible for handling identity document applications, suffered a significant cyberattack that affected nearly 12 million individuals and professionals. In February, the finance ministry disclosed a major breach of its computer system, resulting in the theft of data from 1.2 million bank accounts.