France’s Directorate General of Public Finances confirmed Tuesday that hackers recently breached systems containing information on cadastral records and unclaimed estates, potentially exposing millions of data entries.
The DGFiP said the two cybersecurity incidents occurred several weeks ago and have now been contained. One attack targeted cadastral information, including administrative records and maps used to identify and describe properties within municipalities. The second involved records concerning estates that remain unclaimed after the death of their owners.
Authorities have not yet determined the total amount of information stolen. However, reports indicate that the cadastral breach alone may have affected approximately 1.8 million accounts.
The intrusion was discovered after hackers claimed responsibility on a dark web forum. France’s Economy Ministry said the attackers apparently obtained the login credentials of at least three individuals, including two public officials and another person who had access to the affected information.
In response, authorities temporarily blocked the online portals associated with the two services, as well as the public administration’s intranet used by employees to remotely access their work systems.
The DGFiP director general said officials identified a point of unauthorized access on August 17 and immediately shut it down.
The disclosure followed an investigation launched by the Paris prosecutor’s office into a separate cyberattack on France’s tax administration platform. That incident reportedly affected around 678,000 individual and business users.
Prime Minister Sebastien Lecornu subsequently chaired an emergency interministerial meeting to coordinate the government’s response. Authorities have begun contacting people individually when their information is believed to have been compromised.
Lecornu also instructed France’s National Cybersecurity Agency to conduct an audit of the tax authority’s information systems. The agency is expected to present its findings and recommendations in September.
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