French authorities investigate breach of Tchap messaging service

French authorities are investigating a cyberattack on Tchap, the internal messaging service developed for public workers. Built around encrypted communication, the platform has also been seen as part of France’s effort to favour domestic software solutions in support of digital sovereignty. On 7 June, the National Cyber Security Agency, ANSSI, confirmed that the platform had been breached, and the Digital Affairs Directorate, DINUM, opened a broad inquiry. Officials said the account used in the attack had been identified and its access blocked, but they have not yet determined what data was reached or how extensive any leak may be. Users received a warning after the incident, reminding them that material shared in general chat rooms is not covered by end-to-end encryption. According to information reported by Bleeping Computer, an alleged threat actor claimed responsibility, said they had obtained fixed LDAP credentials, and said that around 14 GB of documents and files had been stolen, including email addresses, meeting links and information on organisations’ internal structures.