The French Ministry of Health has revealed that a significant breach occurred affecting over 15 million citizens, with hackers accessing both administrative records and medical notes. This alarming news comes shortly after officials warned of a prior breach involving 1.2 million French bank accounts, highlighting a broader trend of increasing cyber vulnerabilities in essential public sectors. The scale of this breach underscores the urgent need for enhanced cybersecurity measures in healthcare institutions to protect sensitive patient data.

According to reports, the French television channel France 2 initially disclosed details of this cyberattack, indicating that among the stolen data were personal details of high-profile politicians, putting them at risk of identity theft and other malicious uses. More disturbingly, some of the leaked data reportedly includes personal health information, such as whether a patient is gay or suffers from AIDS, raising concerns about privacy violations and potential discrimination in healthcare.

The Ministry of Health stated that the breach, which occurred in late 2025, involved data from approximately 1,500 medical offices utilizing software from Cegedim Sante. As the data is now visible online, there are fears that it could lead to exploitation and further privacy violations. This situation necessitates a coordinated response from both the government and cybersecurity experts to mitigate the effects and prevent future breaches of this magnitude.