15 MILLION FRENCH PATIENTS’ HEALTH DATA COMPROMISED IN CYBERATTACK
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By: Fasasi Hammad
France’s Ministry of Health announced on Friday that the personal and medical records of over 15 million people had been compromised in a cyberattack.
The revelation comes just days after authorities reported that the details of 1.2 million French bank accounts had been accessed using an official’s credentials.
According to France 2, which first reported the medical data breach, top politicians were among those affected, and some of the stolen information has been made publicly visible online.
The leaked data reportedly included sensitive details, such as patients’ sexual orientation and HIV status.
The ministry said the breach, which occurred in late 2025, affected roughly 1,500 medical practices using software from the company Cegedim Santé. The compromised data mainly included names, phone numbers, and postal addresses. For about 169,000 patients, however, doctors’ notes—some containing sensitive information—were also exposed. No prescriptions or laboratory test results were reported to have been accessed.
Cegedim Santé filed a criminal complaint in October 2025 and stated that around 1,500 of the 3,800 doctors using their software were affected. The company emphasized that it is assisting clients and patients and will cooperate fully with authorities.
The health ministry confirmed that approximately 15.8 million administrative files were breached, of which 165,000 contained doctors’ personal annotations with sensitive information.
Cybersecurity expert Gerome Billois from Wavestone consultancy described the incident as potentially “the largest health-sector data breach in France” and warned it could have “irreparable consequences.” He explained to AFP that once health information—such as a diagnosis of AIDS or another condition—is made public, it cannot be undone.
The financial sector faced a similar breach earlier, with the Ministry of Finance reporting on February 18 that a hacker had accessed details of 1.2 million bank accounts using stolen credentials, including account numbers, holder names, and addresses.
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