Taxpayer data stolen in cyberattack in France

The French Ministry of Economy and Finance said that data belonging to French taxpayers, both individuals and professionals, had been stolen in a cyberattack.

In a statement on Thursday, the ministry said that a “malicious actor” claimed on Wednesday to have breached the General Directorate of Public Finance, the tax authority, in late June.

The statement said that investigations confirmed the cyberattack, during which taxpayer data was accessed and extracted.

The Ministry of Economy and Finance said that further investigations were underway to determine the exact data and the precise number of affected taxpayers, adding that more results would be disclosed.

“The affected users will receive personal information specifying the data that may have been accessed or extracted, as well as precautionary measures to be taken if necessary,” the statement said.

Later on Friday, the ministry announced that data belonging to 678,000 users had been stolen.