Over One Million French Bank Accounts Illegally Accessed Amid Rising Cybersecurity Threats
France suffers a major cyber breach affecting 1.2 million bank accounts amid its ranking as the second most vulnerable country to data breaches worldwide.
- • A malicious actor illegally accessed data from 1.2 million French bank accounts starting January 2026.
- • Immediate actions were taken and affected users will be individually notified.
- • In 2025, over 40.3 million French accounts were compromised, making France the second most vulnerable country after the U.S.
- • Telecommunications and finance sectors are the most targeted by cybercriminals in France due to AI and device connectivity.
- • Authorities reported 27 data breaches involving French data in February 2026, maintaining high alert levels.
Key details
France is grappling with a significant cybersecurity breach involving illegal access to sensitive data from the national banking database. The Ministry of Economy revealed that since late January 2026, a malicious actor exploited the credentials of a government employee to access information from approximately 1.2 million bank accounts. This data includes bank details, account holder identities, addresses, and sometimes tax identifiers.
Immediate measures have been implemented to restrict further unauthorized access, alongside a formal complaint lodged by the ministry. Affected individuals will soon receive personal notifications alerting them to the breach, while banks have been contacted to raise customer awareness and vigilance.
This incident unfolds against a broader backdrop of widespread cyber vulnerabilities in France. A 2025 study by VPN provider Surfshark exposed that over 40.3 million French accounts were compromised through data breaches and hacks, positioning France as the second most vulnerable country for cyberattacks, just after the United States. Particularly devastating was the second quarter of 2025, when 15.6 million accounts were breached.
Surfshark's research highlighted the telecommunications industry in France as the most targeted sector, followed by finance and IT, with the exponential growth of connected devices and the use of artificial intelligence by cybercriminals intensifying the threat landscape.
Tomas Stamulis from Surfshark emphasized the relentless nature of cybercrime, noting users must maintain vigilance year-round, especially during periods of high online activity such as Black Friday. France's cybersecurity challenges are underscored by a violation density twelve times higher than the global average, exposing systemic weaknesses.
With 27 breaches reported in February 2026 alone potentially affecting French data, authorities and institutions remain on high alert to counter ongoing risks. The recent massive illegal access to bank account data exemplifies the urgency of strengthening cybersecurity defenses in France.
This article was translated and synthesized from French sources, providing English-speaking readers with local perspectives.
Source articles (2)
Source comparison
Number of compromised accounts
Sources report different numbers of compromised accounts in France for 2025.
lefigaro.fr
"1,2 million de comptes ont été consultés illégalement."
leclaireur.fnac.com
"Plus de 40,3 millions de comptes français ont été compromis en 2025."
Why this matters: One source claims that over 40.3 million French accounts were compromised in 2025, while the other source reports that 1.2 million accounts were accessed illegitimately in a specific incident. This discrepancy significantly affects the understanding of the scale of cybersecurity issues in France.
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