15-year-old arrested in massive French Government data leak
A minor has been arrested following a cyberattack earlier this month on France’s National Agency for Secure Titles (ANTS).
Image by Cybernews.
Follow us
A teen has been arrested following a cyberattack earlier this month on France’s National Agency for Secure Titles (ANTS).
The breach – reported to have occurred on April 13th – exposed approximately 19 million ID records containing passport, national ID card, and driver’s license data.
Shortly afterward, a sample of the data was uploaded on a criminal forum under the name “breach3d.”
After detailing the exfiltrated data, breach3d appeared to taunt ANTS online, adding: “It seems the French government would do better to stick to the culinary arts: their digital defenses are as crumbly as their croissants.”
The dig appears to be a reference to numerous attacks on French institutions in recent years, leading to criticisms that the nation has become "operationally paralyzed" .
The Paris Public Prosecutor’s Office’s cyber unit was informed of the ANTs breach on April 16th, 2026, and immediately opened an investigation, which led to the arrest of a minor on April 25th.
According to a press release issued by the Paris Public Prosecutor’s Office on Thursday, an official investigation was launched on Wednesday.
On April 20th, the 15-year-old was formally charged and placed under judicial supervision, with the case continuing before a judge.
The suspected crimes include hacking into a government system, remaining inside it, and stealing data, which are serious offenses in France (potentially carrying a sentence of up to 7 years in prison and a €300,000 fine).
ANTS attack: latest teen arrest
ANTS confirmed unusual activity on its network on April 13th, as well as the authenticity of the data being sold on underground forums.
Check if your data was exposed
Find out if your email and related personal information have appeared in known data breaches.
According to a letter issued by ANTS on April 15th, the incident was reported to the CNIL (France’s data protection authority), with ANTS also filing a criminal referral with the Paris Prosecutor.
April also saw the arrest of Peter Stokes, a 19-year old connected to the hacking group Scattered Spider.
Stokes was arrested with numerous electronic devices and at least two 2TB hard drives at Helsinki Airport. The Tokyo-bound teen was apprehended during one of many international trips financed by his hacking activities.
Some of his previous destinations included Dubai, Thailand, New York, and Europe.
Unlock exclusive Cybernews content on YouTube.
