A cyberattack on France’s tax authority has exposed personal and financial data belonging to roughly 678,000 individuals and businesses. The incident, confirmed by officials, has raised concerns about targeted fraud and physical risks for higher-income taxpayers.
The breach adds to a series of data exposures affecting French public systems.
The Drivers of This Activity
France’s Finance Ministry and the Directorate General of Public Finances (DGFiP) confirmed that a malicious actor gained unauthorised access to internal systems in late June 2026. The attacker extracted records on both private individuals and professionals before the intrusion was detected and cut off.
According to tracking by FrenchBreaches and subsequent official statements, approximately 678,000 accounts were affected. The data includes names, dates of birth, addresses, phone numbers, email addresses, reference taxable income, withholding tax rates, family composition and related tax identifiers. Among those impacted were tens of thousands of people with incomes above €100,000, including several hundred reporting more than €1 million.
A threat actor using the name ZeroBytes has claimed responsibility and reportedly offered the database for sale on dark-web markets. A separate related intrusion targeting cadastral files was also acknowledged.
Impact and Broader Context
The exposure of detailed income and personal information significantly increases the risk of sophisticated phishing, identity theft and targeted scams. In the current environment, where France has seen a rise in violent “wrench attacks” aimed at cryptocurrency holders, the combination of wealth indicators and contact details is particularly sensitive.
Authorities have stated that affected individuals will be notified and advised on protective steps. The incident highlights ongoing challenges in securing large-scale government databases that hold highly sensitive financial records.
Further investigation continues, and a consolidated official tally is still expected. Readers and affected parties should monitor communications from the tax authority and remain alert to unusual contact attempts referencing tax matters.
Source: The Block