The French national cybersecurity agency (ANSSI) has established a new cyber incident response unit named Interministerial Response & Action against Data Breaches (Réponse & Action Interministérielle face aux Violations de données, or REACTIV). This unit is specifically designed to assist state services in the event of cyberattacks and data breaches.
The creation of REACTIV, announced by ANSSI on September 7, aims to bolster the agency's authority by enabling the immediate mobilization of necessary skills and resources from ANSSI to support affected ministries. The new unit grants ANSSI two key powers: the ability to mandate ministries to implement immediate protective measures for citizens' data entrusted to government administrations within strict deadlines, and the establishment of a centralized technical crisis communication led by ANSSI during attacks threatening state services.
The initiative follows a significant cyberattack on the Directorate-General for Public Finance (DGFiP), France’s national tax authority, which occurred a few weeks prior to the announcement. This incident compromised sensitive personal data belonging to an estimated 350,000 to 678,000 taxpayers. In response, the French Prime Minister called for a comprehensive audit of ANSSI and the formation of a new incident response unit within the agency.
Two individuals, aged 16 and 18, were apprehended in late August in connection with the DGFiP hack. They are suspected of being members of a hacking group known as "ZeroBytes."
While the establishment of REACTIV has been confirmed, details regarding the human and financial resources allocated to the unit have not yet been publicly disclosed. This lack of information has led some observers to question the unit's potential effectiveness and capacity to achieve its stated objectives.
