French authorities arrested a 22-year-old suspect on Tuesday for a cyberattack that focused France’s Ministry of the Inside earlier this month.
In a press release issued by Public Prosecutor Laure Beccuau, officers mentioned the suspected hacker was arrested on December 17, 2025, as a part of an investigation into the assault.
“An individual was arrested on December 17, 2025, as a part of the investigation opened by the cybercrime unit of the Paris public prosecutor’s workplace, on costs together with unauthorized entry to an automatic private knowledge processing system carried out by the State, dedicated by an organized group, following the cyberattack towards the Ministry of the Inside,” reads the assertion translated into English.
The suspect is accused of unauthorized entry to an automatic private knowledge processing system and performed as a part of an organized group. This offense carries a most sentence of 10 years’ imprisonment.
Prosecutors mentioned the suspect, born in 2003, is already identified to the general public prosecutor’s workplace and was convicted in 2025 for related offenses. Investigations are being carried out by OFAC, France’s Workplace for Combating Cybercrime, and authorities mentioned an additional assertion might be issued on the finish of the police custody interval, which may last as long as 48 hours.
BleepingComputer contacted the general public prosecutor’s workplace with questions concerning the prior convictions, however was instructed they don’t seem to be disclosing this data.
The arrest follows a Friday announcement by French officers that the Ministry of the Inside was breached in a cyberattack that compromised its inside e-mail servers.
Inside Minister Laurent Nuñez mentioned the intrusion was detected in a single day between Thursday, December 11, and Friday, December 12, and allowed attackers to achieve entry to some doc information. Officers haven’t confirmed whether or not any knowledge was stolen throughout the assault.
“There was certainly a cyberattack. An attacker was capable of entry a variety of information. So we carried out the standard safety procedures,” Inside Minister Laurent Nuñez mentioned in a press release shared with RTL Radio.
“It could possibly be overseas interference, it could possibly be individuals who wish to problem the authorities and present that they’re able to accessing programs, and it is also cybercrime. At this level, we do not know what it’s.”
Following the breach, the ministry tightened safety protocols and strengthened entry controls throughout the data programs utilized by ministry personnel.
Across the identical time as France’s Ministry of the Inside breach, the infamous BreachForums hacking discussion board was relaunched, with one among its directors publicly claiming accountability for the assault in a discussion board publish.
The publish claims that the federal government company was attacked in revenge for the arrests of their pals, seemingly referring to the 2025 arrests of 5 BreachForums moderators and admins.
“We hereby announce that, in revenge for our arrested pals, we have now efficiently compromised “MININT” — the French Ministry of the Inside,” reads the discussion board publish.
These beforehand arrested by French police used the discussion board aliases of “ShinyHunters”, “Hole”, “Noct”, “Depressed,” and “IntelBroker.” Nevertheless, the individual utilizing the ShinyHunters isn’t believed to be the principle operator of the ShinyHunters extortion gang, who has been behind quite a few assaults in 2025, together with the current PornHub knowledge breach.
Supply: BleepingComputer
The discussion board publish goes on to assert that the risk actors stole knowledge on 16,444,373 folks from France’s police information and information. The risk actors declare they’re giving the French authorities per week to barter with them to not publicly launch the info.
The BreachForums admin shared three screenshots they declare show they’re behind the breach.
French authorities haven’t confirmed these claims, and it stays unclear whether or not the person arrested is related to the BreachForums statements.
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