CybersecurityNewswire

France Data Breach Exposes 340,000 Jobseekers’ Information

▼ Summary

France Travail, the French employment agency, experienced a data breach potentially affecting 340,000 jobseekers, exposing personal data like names, addresses, and jobseeker statuses.
– The breach was detected on July 13 via an infostealer malware attack that compromised a user account linked to a training organization, granting access to the Kairos application.
– France Travail shut down affected services, filed a complaint with authorities, and notified the French Data Protection Agency (CNIL) and impacted individuals.
– The agency has accelerated the rollout of two-factor authentication (2FA) for Kairos, originally planned for 2026, to enhance security.
– This marks the second breach in two years, following a March 2024 incident that exposed data of 43 million users registered over 20 years.

A major data breach at France’s national employment agency has compromised sensitive information belonging to hundreds of thousands of job seekers. The incident, discovered earlier this month, highlights growing cybersecurity risks facing government services handling personal data.

France Travail alerted users via email about unauthorized access to its employment portal, which partners use to manage job seeker information. Exposed details include full names, contact information, agency identifiers, and employment statuses, though financial data and passwords remained secure. Officials warned affected individuals to stay alert for potential phishing attempts exploiting the leaked information.

Investigators traced the breach to a compromised user account belonging to an Isère-based training organization. Hackers infiltrated the system using infostealer malware, gaining entry to Kairos, a platform that monitors job seekers’ training progress. The agency swiftly disabled affected services, including partner portals, while launching security upgrades.

France’s national cybersecurity team (CERT-FR) detected the intrusion on July 12, prompting immediate action. Authorities filed a formal complaint, notified the country’s data protection watchdog (CNIL), and began notifying impacted individuals. Services are expected to resume by July 24 with enhanced protections, including accelerated deployment of two-factor authentication (2FA), a safeguard originally planned for 2026.

This marks the agency’s second significant breach in recent years. Earlier in 2024, attackers targeted France Travail and Cap Emploi, exposing two decades’ worth of registration data for approximately 43 million people. The repeated incidents underscore vulnerabilities in public-sector IT infrastructure, raising concerns about long-term data protection strategies.

Security experts emphasize that while no system is impervious to attacks, delayed adoption of basic safeguards like 2FA leaves organizations unnecessarily exposed. France Travail’s decision to fast-track these measures reflects growing pressure to prioritize digital security amid escalating cyber threats.

(Source: InfoSecurity Magazine)

Topics

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