French govt messaging service breached in account hijacking attack
The French government’s Tchap messaging service was breached after a compromised user account was used to gain access, leading to the theft of sensitive data including user information and over 13.5GB of files. The attack, attributed to a threat actor, exploited a social engineering technique and highlighted vulnerabilities within the platform’s public chat functionality. Authorities are investigating the extent of the breach and notifying users about potential risks.
The breach occurred within Tchap, a messaging platform developed by DINUM in collaboration with ANSSI, designed for the French public sector. Initially boasting over 300,000 monthly users, the platform was mandated by Prime Minister Bayroux in August 2023, leading to widespread adoption among civil servants. However, ANSSI detected a breach on Sunday, revealing that a compromised user account was used to gain access to the secure messaging platform. The attacker subsequently stole a significant amount of data, including LDAP credentials and over 13.5GB of documents and media files shared by public servants.