French finance ministry under cyber attack

Paris: The French finance ministry has come under sustained cyber attack since December from Internet hackers targeting the treasury and G20 documents, Paris Match magazine said on its Internet site today.

"Between December and this weekend, the ministry of finance and the economy was the victim of an unprecedented cyber attack," the publication said citing a source close to the case.

The management of the French Treasury department was the prime target of the attacks, it added.

The origin of the attacks had not yet been established.

"We noted that a certain amount of information was redirected to Chinese sites. But that does not say very much," a senior official who declined to be named told Paris-Match.

Patrick Pailloux, director general of the French National Agency for Information Technology Security, told the magazine the hackers were after "documents related to the French presidency of the G20 and to international economic affairs."

"The actors were determined professionals and organised. It is the first attack of this size and scale against the French state," he added.

More than 150 ministry computers had been hacked and numerous documents pirated. Individuals were not targeted in the attack.

Bercy has filed an official complaint with the French courts and the French secret service has taken up the case.

There was no comment on the case from the ministry early today.