Key facts
- France's tax authority confirmed a data breach affecting 678,437 individuals and businesses.
- Leaked data includes income figures, addresses, tax identifiers, and family information.
- A hacker is selling the stolen data for several thousand euros.
- The breach could facilitate phishing, identity theft, and targeted attacks against Bitcoin holders.
- France has been noted as a location with a rise in crypto-related wrench attacks.
France's tax authority has confirmed a significant data breach affecting hundreds of thousands of individuals and businesses. The compromised data, which includes personal and financial details, is being sold by a hacker and could be exploited for targeted scams and attacks, particularly against wealthy taxpayers and Bitcoin holders. This development is particularly concerning as France has seen a rise in crypto-related wrench attacks, where criminals use threats or violence to steal cryptocurrency. The tax authority stated that stolen VPN credentials were used to access and extract taxpayer data in late June, and the full extent of the breach is still under investigation.