Cyberattack targeting the tax administration: nearly 700,000 users affected

The cyber section of the Paris prosecutor's office has opened an investigation following a cyberattack affecting nearly 700,000 users of the tax administration. The investigations, entrusted to the Anti-Cybercrime Office (Ofac), relate in particular to the fraudulent extraction of data and participation in a criminal association.

This cyberattack against the tax information system made it possible to extract data from taxpayers and businesses during a “more sophisticated” operation than “in the past,” the tax administration lamented on Friday.

This new large-scale computer attack could relaunch the debate on the security of state information systems, while previous episodes have punctuated the news in recent weeks (ANTS, Insee, etc.).

In total, 678,000 users, individuals and businesses are affected. For individuals, the stolen data concerns in particular first and last names, the family quotient, the reference tax income and the withholding tax rate, detailed the general director of public finances Amélie Verdier.

The stolen data "does not allow access to the secure account on 'impots.gouv.fr'" however wanted to reassure the tax authorities, specifying that the users concerned would be contacted at the beginning of next week, in particular to warn them of the risks of identity theft.

For companies, this is “data less sensitive than individuals”, in particular the Siren number, the address of the company, of the agent, further detailed Amélie Verdier.

The Minister of Public Accounts, David Amiel, asked the Directorate General of Public Finances (DGFiP) to inform the French people concerned on Monday, his entourage told the press.