Date source: 2026-08-27
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How to protect yourself from the consequences of a personal data breach? Published on August 28, 2026 - Service Public / Directorate of Legal and Administrative Information (Prime Minister's Office)
Many personal data thefts occur each year in France. These cyberattacks affect government agencies, businesses, associations... To protect yourself against the consequences of these data breaches, it is important for individuals to adopt some good digital practices. Service Public presents them to you.
Image 1 Credits: Haas/peopleimages.com - stock.adobe.com
Following a data breach, such as the one that occurred after the illegal intrusion into the information system of the Directorate General of Public Finance (DGFiP), the main risks for individuals are fraud attempts. This can happen through:
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messages (sending fraudulent emails or SMS);
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or phone calls (some fraudsters may, for example, impersonate your bank advisor).
These messages or calls may seem credible to you because the person mentions certain personal data recovered through the breach (your name and surname, your tax identification number, your postal or phone contact information, your email address, etc.).
You can strengthen your digital security, and thus limit the consequences of a data breach, by adopting some good practices. For example, it is recommended to:
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choose sufficiently long and complex passwords, for example by following CNIL's advice;
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avoid using the same password for different sites and platforms;
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update your software, applications and devices as soon as you are prompted to do so, in order to fix potential security vulnerabilities;
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enable, when possible, two-factor authentication (if someone logs in to your account from an unidentified device, the site notifies you by SMS or email and you can then allow or deny access);
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remain wary of unsolicited emails, SMS or phone calls (in any case, you should never share your codes, login credentials, passwords or bank details in response to a request);
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always check the sender of a message, and be careful with links and attachments (if in doubt, don't click on them);
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type the official address of a website directly into your web browser, rather than clicking on a link sent to you by email.
You can find the various steps to take if you are a victim of a personal data breach, on a fact sheet made available by the Cybermalveillance.gouv.fr platform.
It is recommended to use a password manager, a digital tool designed to remember your access codes on your behalf. This saves you from writing down your various passwords in an unprotected file on your computer or mobile phone, or even on a piece of paper.
This type of tool centralizes all your usernames and access codes in a database. Your manager is protected by a single password; thus, you only have one password to remember.
In general, it is also recommended, to protect yourself on the internet:
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avoid publishing certain personal data about yourself or your acquaintances;
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check the privacy settings of your accounts (social networks, online games, mobile applications, online services, etc.), to determine what can or cannot be seen by others;
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install applications only from official publisher websites or app stores;
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remember to regularly back up your digital data to another medium (USB drive, external hard drive, cloud, etc.), so you can recover it if there's a problem.
Furthermore, you can request from an organization the deletion of personal data concerning you (an embarrassing photo on a website, information collected by an organization that you consider unnecessary, etc.); you can perform this procedure especially if this data is subject to unlawful processing (hacked data, etc.).
If you believe you are a victim of cybercrime (online fraud, etc.), you can use the 17Cyber.gouv.fr platform; agents from this public service will help you determine the nature of the situation and what steps to take.
See also
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Phishing Service Public
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Unauthorized access to the information system of the Directorate General of Public Finance: consult the FAQ Ministry in charge of the Economy
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Protect yourself on the Internet with cyber reflexes! National Commission for Data Protection and Freedoms (CNIL)
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Data breach or personal data leak: what to do? Cybermalveillance.gouv.fr
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Data breach: 3 free tools to check if your passwords have been compromised France Num
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Data breach and theft of your IBAN: how to protect yourself if you are affected? National Commission for Data Protection and Freedoms (CNIL)
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Source: Service-Public individuals