UPDATE - French interior minister says hackers accessed dozens of confidential files in cyberattack on ministry

ADDS ARREST OF SUSPECT, CHANGES DECK

By Necva Tastan Sevinc and Ilayda Cakirtekin

ISTANBUL (AA) - French Interior Minister Laurent Nunez said Wednesday that hackers accessed “dozens of confidential files” during a cyberattack targeting the ministry last week, confirming that sensitive law enforcement databases were accessed.

Speaking to the broadcaster Franceinfo, Nunez said the ministry was the victim of a cyber intrusion that resulted in the extraction of “a few dozen” files, including records from the Criminal Records Processing system and the Wanted Persons File.

“These are files that are important to us,” Nunez said, adding that authorities are still assessing the full scope of the breach.

“We do not yet know the extent of the compromise. To date, a few dozen files have been removed from the system, but we are talking about millions of data.”

He described the incident as “a serious act,” stressing that investigations are ongoing to determine precisely what information was accessed and extracted.

The Interior Ministry confirmed that the attack involved a breach of its professional email services during the night of Dec. 11-12.

In a statement to BFMTV, the ministry said analysis showed “an intrusion into professional email accounts containing identifying information, the retrieval of which made it possible to access business applications.”

Meanwhile, the Paris public prosecutor announced late Wednesday that a man has been arrested as part of the investigation.

Born in 2003, the suspect is reportedly already known to the justice system for having been convicted for similar offenses in 2025.

An investigation was opened by the cybercrime unit of the Paris prosecutor’s office, notably on charges of “attacking a state-operated automated system for processing personal data as part of an organized group.”

Security services are continuing technical investigations, while measures have been taken to strengthen protections and limit further risks.