France’s national postal service targeted by suspected cyberattack
The digital platforms and applications of France’s national postal service and its banking division have suffered from a suspected cyberattack, disrupting mail deliveries and complicating online transactions at the peak season of the year. Just four days ahead of Christmas, La Poste announced on Monday that a distributed denial of service event, or DDoS, had “rendered its online services unavailable.” While customer information was reported to be secure, the distribution of mail, including parcels, had been delayed. Reports from French media indicated that customers attempting to send last-minute parcels or retrieve items from postal offices were being turned away. The postal service processes and delivers over 2 million items in the lead-up to Christmas. The banking division, La Banque Postale, communicated via social media that the incident was “impacting access to online banking and the mobile application.” Although card payments at physical point-of-sale locations were still operational, along with ATMs, the bank clarified. Online payments continued to be possible but required authentication through a text message. “Our teams are focused on resolving the issue promptly,” stated the bank. As of now, there has been no immediate attribution for the suspected attack. The BPCE group, which encompasses the Banque Populaire and Caisse d’Épargne banks, also faced an IT glitch on Monday morning, but it was settled by midday, according to the company. This occurrence followed a week after cybercriminals targeted the French government, leading to disruptions in the interior ministry, which oversees national security. French media reported that a 22-year-old suspect had been arrested in connection to that incident. Interior minister Laurent Nuñez noted that the suspected hacker had taken numerous sensitive documents and gained access to data regarding police records and wanted individuals. He attributed the incident to an “imprudence” within the ministry. Anonymous supporters claimed to have accessed nearly 70 million confidential data records from various police databases, affecting 16.4 million French citizens whose information was recorded in multiple state systems. Recently, private enterprises, including the mobile operator SFR and the DIY chain LeroyMerlin, have fallen victim to cyberattacks as well. Prosecutors indicated last week that France’s counterespionage agency is looking into a suspected plot involving cyberattack software that allegedly would enable remote users to control the computer infrastructure of an international passenger ferry. A crew member from Latvia is in custody facing charges for allegedly acting on behalf of an unidentified foreign entity, according to officials. France and its European allies of Ukraine have accused Russia of conducting “hybrid warfare” against them, alongside these cyberattacks.
Published: 2025-12-22 17:54:00
source: www.theguardian.com
