A cyberattack hit France’s ANTS website, possibly exposing personal data from users applying for IDs, passports, and driver’s licenses.
A cyberattack targeted France’s ANTS platform, which handles applications for passports, ID cards, residence permits, and driver’s licenses. Authorities detected the incident on April 15 and warned it may have exposed personal data from both individuals and professionals.
The Interior Ministry confirmed the breach and is investigating the scope and impact on affected users.
“On Wednesday, April 15, 2026, the National Agency for Secure Documents (ANTS) detected a security incident that could involve the disclosure of data from personal and professional accounts on the ants.gouv.fr portal.” reads the announcement published by the French service.
The security breach may have exposed user details such as login ID, name, email, date of birth, and account ID. In some cases, it also includes address, place of birth, or phone number. Authorities are notifying impacted users. According to the data breach notification, the exposed data does not include uploaded documents and does not allow direct access to user accounts.
Authorities reported the incident to the French Data Protection Authority (CNIL), notified prosecutors, and alerted the national cybersecurity agency. Government experts launched investigations to identify the cause and impact. They strengthened security to protect services and data. Users don’t need to act, but should stay alert for suspicious messages, calls, or emails that may try to exploit the situation.
A threat actor claims to be selling a large dataset stolen from ANTS, which includes around 18–19 million records with names, emails, phone numbers, birth details, addresses, and account metadata.
If real, this type of data could enable identity theft, financial fraud, and synthetic identities at scale, with long-term impact. Government identity systems are high-value targets because the information has lasting usefulness. However, the claim remains unverified and needs confirmation.
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