After supermarkets and a blood bank, now La Poste: hackers steal data of 22 million people in France
French postal operator La Poste has confirmed that a cyberattack on its digital subsidiary Maileva in mid-September exposed the data of 22 million people. A judicial investigation into the breach is ongoing.
RastinewsFrance's national postal operator La Poste says a cyberattack on Maileva, a platform run by its Docaposte unit, exposed the data of 22 million people — roughly a third of the country's population.
Maileva lets businesses send invoices, pay slips, registered letters and official correspondence online. It serves more than 70,000 corporate clients.
The attack took place in mid-September. Docaposte took the platform offline for six days, restoring service on September 29.
Letter contents may have been read too
The stolen data includes the first names, last names and postal addresses of customers belonging to companies that use Maileva. French media reported that the attackers also accessed the content of some correspondence.
Some reports claim invoice numbers, treatment dates and debt amounts from payment reminder letters were also leaked. La Poste has not confirmed this detail or provided further specifics.
Social housing providers Flandre Opale Habitat and Altéal reported in early November that their tenants' information had leaked in the breach. French media warned that the stolen addresses could be used for fraud, including fake invoices and payment letters.
Supermarkets and a blood bank were also targeted
On the night of October 11-12, the refrigeration systems of hundreds of supermarkets were hacked. French Finance Minister Roland Lescure said around 700 stores were affected, including Carrefour, Intermarché, Monoprix and Coopérative U outlets, forcing them to destroy large quantities of chilled goods.
On the night of November 1-2, attackers targeted Coolworld, a company that provides refrigeration services to the French Blood Establishment (EFS). The attackers raised the temperature in plasma storage units from minus 30 degrees to plus 110 degrees. A technician on duty caught the problem in time, and the agency said no impact on health was found.
It remains unclear who is behind the attacks. According to Le Figaro and AFP, La Poste announced on November 14 that a judicial investigation into the Maileva breach is underway.