French Hauts-de-Seine department crippled by major cyberattack

The Hauts-de-Seine department in France has fallen victim to a significant cyberattack, resulting in the complete shutdown of its information systems and communication networks for an undetermined period, the departmental council confirmed.

In an official statement disseminated via social media platforms, the council described the incident as a "large-scale cyberattack," noting that all standard digital operations and communication channels had been rendered inoperative, Caliber.Az reports, citing French media.

⚠️ Le Département a été victime d’une cyber attaque de grande ampleur. L’ensemble des systèmes d’information et des moyens de communication habituels ont été désactivés pour une période indéterminée.

— Département des Hauts-de-Seine (@hautsdeseinefr) May 20, 2025

“All necessary measures are being taken to assess the impact, protect the data of staff and users, and restore access to the network and applications,” the council said in a message shared with franceinfo. “IT teams and service providers are fully mobilized in this effort.”

As of now, the nature of the cyberattack — including its methodology, scope of damage, and potential perpetrators — remains unclear. Authorities have not provided any timeline for the restoration of services, nor have they commented on whether any sensitive data has been compromised.

This incident marks the second major cybersecurity breach experienced by the Hauts-de-Seine departmental council in recent years. In 2023, the department reported an “IT intrusion” that forced the temporary suspension of part of its telephone services. At the time, officials assured the public that no data belonging to users or staff had been affected.

The broader threat of cyberattacks targeting French public institutions is not new. In November 2022, the neighboring department of Seine-et-Marne suffered a similar attack that severely disrupted its IT infrastructure. It took several weeks for systems there to return to full functionality.

By Vafa Guliyeva