Data of approximately 80,000 individuals in France has been compromised following a cyber attack on a platform operated by a third-party contractor for the French Public Health Agency, affiliated with the Ministry of Health, as reported by 'France Info'.
The agency stated that the attack targeted the 'Moncoupon' platform, a service used to request educational and informational materials distributed by the Public Health Agency as part of its preventive campaigns.
Available information indicates that attackers gained access to a database containing contact information linked to deliveries, including emails, postal addresses, and phone numbers of roughly 80,000 individuals.
The French Public Health Agency confirmed that the breach did not involve medical data, restricting the affected data to contact information within the targeted platform.
While this limits the sensitivity of the breached information, leaked contact details could still be exploited in phishing attempts or scams impersonating official agencies.
This incident highlights the risks associated with platforms and services managed by third-party contractors on behalf of public institutions, where contractor systems can become an entry point for targeting government service user data.
'France Info' reported that the French Public Health Agency's teams are working to restore platform access while efforts continue to address the attack's consequences and secure the platform.
Initial reports did not disclose the identity of the attackers or the method used to breach the system, and further details about the timing and duration of the database access remain unclear.