“Sensitive files” leaked during a cyber attack on the French Ministry of the Interior | news

The French government announced today, Wednesday, that several dozen confidential records were leaked during a cyber attack targeting the French Ministry of the Interior over a period of several days.

Interior Minister Laurent Nunez described the matter to deputies as “very dangerous” and announced immediate measures to strengthen the ministry’s cybersecurity.

When asked about the scale of the attack during an accountability session in the National Assembly (Parliament), he acknowledged the seriousness of the breach that occurred last week.

He explained that the security breach occurred due to “weak digital safety,” as passwords were exchanged that allowed access to protected files via hacked professional messaging systems.

The breach allowed one or more hackers to access “very sensitive” files, including the criminal records processing file and the wanted persons file, which are two files essential for the work of the security forces.

Although a group of hackers claimed responsibility for stealing data related to 16 million people, the minister stressed that at this stage, only “a few dozen secret records” have been released so far.