French Tax Breach Shows Why Crypto Security Extends Beyond Wallets

Crypto security does not stop at the wallet. France’s tax authority confirmed illegitimate access to the national bank-account register known as FICOBA, with about 1.2 million accounts consulted, under 1 percent of the file. The access began in late January and was detected on 13 February 2026, according to the authority’s statement. The register holds identifiers such as IBANs and account-holder details, not balances or transaction histories. Those verified facts make this a timely stress test of crypto’s off-chain defenses as much as its on-chain hygiene. DGFiP press release

Investigators say the attacker did not breach a public-facing vulnerability. Instead, the access came via credentials of a government official outside the tax authority, a textbook example of third-party identity compromise reshaping the risk surface. Assemblée nationale Q&A

DGFiP and banking guidance highlight near-term dangers from exposed IBANs: more convincing phishing and potential attempts at fraudulent SEPA direct debits. The authority says banks were alerted and affected individuals will be informed. DGFiP public notice

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