France’s national post office hit by suspected cyberattack | France

The websites and applications of France’s national post office and its banking service have been subjected to a suspected cyberattack; Deliveries were disrupted and online payments and transfers were disrupted at the busiest time of the year.

La Poste said in a statement on Monday, four days before Christmas, that a distributed denial of service incident (DDoS) had “rendered its online services inaccessible”. It was stated that customer data was safe, but mail delivery, including packages, was slow.

French media reported that customers who wanted to send packages or pick up items from post offices were turned away at the last minute. The postal service is sorting and delivering more than 2 million items in the run-up to Christmas.

La Banque Postale, the group’s banking service, said on social media that the incident “affects access to online banking and the mobile application.” Card payments at in-store point-of-sale terminals and ATMs are still working, the bank said.

It was stated that online payments are also possible, but identity verification must be made via text message. “Our teams were mobilized to resolve the situation quickly,” the bank said. No one immediately claimed responsibility for the suspicious attack.

The BPCE group, which includes banks Banque Populaire and Caisse d’Épargne, also experienced an IT failure on Monday morning, but it was resolved by midday, the company said.

The incident comes a week after the French government was the target of a cyberattack that disrupted the interior ministry, which is responsible for national security. French media reported that a 22-year-old suspect was detained in connection with the incident.

Interior minister Laurent Nuñez said the suspected hacker extracted several dozen sensitive files and gained access to police records and data on wanted people. He accused the ministry of “lack of precaution” regarding the incident.

Anonymous supporters boasted of gaining access to nearly 70 million confidential data records from various police files in a data breach they claimed affected 16.4 million French citizens, whose details were recorded in numerous state databases.

Private companies, including mobile operator SFR and DIY chain LeroyMerlin, have also fallen victim to attacks in recent weeks.

France’s counter-espionage agency is investigating a suspected cyberattack plot involving software that would allow remote users to control the computer systems of an international passenger ferry, prosecutors said last week.

A Latvian crew member remains in custody, accused of acting on behalf of an unidentified foreign power, authorities said. France and Ukraine’s other European allies claim that Russia is waging “hybrid warfare” against them, including cyber attacks.