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French law enforcement has arrested a 22-year-old man suspected of carrying out a recent cyberattack on the Ministry of the Interior. The attack occurred in mid-December and targeted the agency’s internal email servers.
The Paris prosecutor’s office said the arrest took place on December 17 as part of an investigation conducted by a specialized IT unit.
According to investigators, the defendant gained unauthorized access to an automated personal data processing system, which constitutes a crime committed within the framework of an organized crime . The maximum penalty for such an act in France is up to ten years in prison.
The inmate had previously been convicted of similar crimes in early 2025. The investigation is ongoing and is being conducted by the National Cybercrime Agency. Authorities have promised to release further information following the police interview, which could last up to two days.
The incident was made public several days ago. According to Interior Minister Laurent Nunez, the network intrusion was detected during the night between December 11th and 12th . Unknown individuals managed to access several internal files. Authorities have not confirmed the data theft, but noted that security measures were strengthened and system access policies were reviewed immediately after the attack.
Almost simultaneously with the incident, activity was noted on the previously inactive hacker forum BreachForums . One of the site’s administrators posted a statement claiming that his group was behind the attack on the ministry.
The report also claimed that the attack was retaliation for the arrest of five other forum administrators, who were detained earlier this year . It also provided alleged evidence in the form of screenshots and called on the government to contact authorities within a week to prevent the publication of the stolen data.
The attackers claim to have accessed information on over 16 million people from police records. However, French authorities have not yet confirmed the authenticity of these claims.
It is also not known whether the arrested man is directly linked to BreachForums members or the authors of the claims.
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