- French Interior Ministry hacked, exposing email servers and internal files
- Extent of any data theft still unknown
- APT28 suspected, due to past targeting of French government entities
The French Interior Ministry has confirmed that it recently suffered a cyberattack, but the consequences remain to be determined.
The French Interior Minister said the attack took place during the night between December 11 and 12. Email servers were compromised, allowing malicious actors to access certain document files. However, it is not yet clear whether they managed to steal anything and if so, what exactly.
“There was indeed a cyberattack. An attacker was able to access a certain number of files. We therefore put in place the usual protection procedures,” Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez said on local radio. RTL Radio. “It could be foreign interference, people wanting to defy authorities and show they can access systems, or cybercrime. At this point, we don’t know what it is.”
Was it the Russians?
Other than that, details are scarce, as it’s unclear who was responsible or what they were after.
Initial reports suggest the attack may have been the work of APT28, an advanced persistent threat actor linked to Russia’s military intelligence service (GRU). Also known as Fancy Bear or Forest Blizzard, APT28 has been attributed to numerous high-profile cyberespionage campaigns across the West.
For example, a recent report from the National Information Systems Security Agency (ANSSI), APT28 generally targets government agencies, consultancies, think tanks and companies in the French defense technological and industrial base.
They also target aerospace organizations and other companies in the financial and economic sector. For years, APT28 also targeted Roundcube email servers, harvesting vital data from governments and diplomats in North America and Europe.
In July 2025, the UK’s National Cyber Security Center (NCSC) warned of APT28 targeting Microsoft 365 accounts with specialist malware called Authentic Antics.
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