France's cyberattack numbers stabilize at high level: ANSSI warns of hacker bluff

The number of cyberattacks in France in 2025 did not record a sharp increase but stabilized at a high level, reaching a so-called plateau. Vincent Strubel, Director General of the French National Agency for the Security of Information Systems (ANSSI), reported that the institution handled about 1,100 cyber incidents last year. Although the threat remains real and serious, experts point to a change in the dynamics of events compared to previous years. This stabilization comes at a time when French services are placing increasing emphasis on verifying reports of security breaches. ANSSI was established by decree in July 2009 as a specialized body to support the French Prime Minister in the area of information systems security. Over the years, the agency evolved from a technical unit into a key pillar of national defense against threats in cyberspace. Previous reports often pointed to an exponential increase in the number of attacks, making the current stabilization at a plateau level a significant turning point in the country's digital security statistics.

Particular public attention was drawn to data concerning the credibility of reported data thefts, where a full 60 percent of alerts turned out to be untrue. Vincent Strubel described this phenomenon as a "bluff" used by hackers, who often exaggerate the scale of their actions or report leaks that did not actually occur. Such actions aim to cause panic, extort ransoms, or build false prestige within the cybercriminal community. The ANSSI Director emphasized that most of the incidents the agency was notified about in 2025 were not ultimately confirmed as real breaches. „Dans les incidents de vols de données dont l'Anssi a été saisie en 2025, il y avait 60% qui n'étaient pas avérés” (Of the data theft incidents that ANSSI was notified about in 2025, 60% were not proven.) — Vincent Strubel via BFMTV

The main motivations behind confirmed attacks remain state espionage and financially motivated cybercrime. As the primary sources of threats in the area of cyber espionage, French services point to Russia and China, which systematically attempt to infiltrate key information systems. At the same time, profit-driven cybercriminals still pose a significant challenge, even though their activity no longer shows such dynamic growth as in previous periods. This situation requires the state to maintain a high level of defensive readiness while precisely filtering out disinformation spread by hacker groups. 1100 (incydentów) — number of handled cyber incidents in 2025 Credibility of data theft reports in 2025: Unconfirmed reports (bluff): 60%, Confirmed reports: 40%