France’s tax authority has confirmed that hackers breached its information systems and extracted data on individuals and businesses. France’s Economy Ministry said late Thursday that an attacker gained unauthorized access to systems at the Directorate General of Public Finances, or DGFiP, in late June after stealing or misusing someone’s identity. The intrusion allowed the attacker “to view and extract data belonging to individuals and businesses,” according to the ministry. Officials said the unauthorized access was detected and cut off in late June. The incident became public after a hacker claimed responsibility earlier this week, prompting the tax authority to impose additional restrictions to prevent further unauthorized access. Authorities are now working to determine precisely what information was accessed or stolen and how many individuals and businesses were affected. The DGFiP said people whose data was compromised will be contacted individually and told what information may have been exposed and what precautions they should take.

Full report : France’s tax authority data of nearly 680,000 taxpayers stolen.