Hackers launched a cyberattack against France’s Interior Ministry that continued for several days.
The attackers focused on internal email accounts at the Place Beauvau ministry.
The ministry employs nearly 300,000 people across the country.
Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez confirmed the attack publicly on Wednesday.
He said the breach exposed professional email accounts used by ministry staff.
The attackers then used that access to reach sensitive police systems.
Nuñez spoke about the incident during an interview with the Franceinfo broadcaster.
He said authorities detected the intrusion only after suspicious internal activity appeared.
Judicial authorities immediately opened an investigation to identify those responsible.
Stolen Credentials Opened the Door to Police Databases
Attackers accessed several professional email inboxes belonging to ministry employees.
They recovered login credentials that granted entry to restricted systems.
Nuñez said the hackers viewed multiple sensitive police files during the intrusion.
Those files included the Criminal Records Processing System, known as TAJ.
They also accessed the Wanted Persons File, called the FPR.
Officials still cannot assess the full impact of the breach.
Nuñez said attackers may have removed several dozen files from ministry systems.
Authorities continue examining logs to understand what data the hackers accessed.
The minister said he could not confirm whether the breach disrupted investigations.
However, he stressed that the incident did not put lives at risk.
The attackers never demanded a ransom, according to the minister.
Carelessness, Claims, and Conflicting Narratives
Nuñez blamed the intrusion on failures to follow basic security procedures.
He said the ministry regularly reminds staff to follow cybersecurity rules.
A small number of careless actions can allow serious breaches, he warned.
The attack unfolded over several days and targeted internal email infrastructure.
Last week, BFMTV revealed that officials had detected suspicious email server activity.
Soon after, a hacker group claimed access to data linked to over 16 million people.
The group provided no evidence to support its claim.
Nuñez firmly rejected the allegation and called it false.
The ministry reported the incident to the CNIL, as required by law.
Nuñez also ordered an internal administrative investigation into the breach.
France’s Anti-Cybercrime Office now leads the investigation into the attack.
