Credit Mutuel Arkea Says €100 Million Missing After Cyberattack

Hackers used the bank’s own account to send money to other lenders, the group said on November 4. The attackers may then have converted the funds into cryptocurrency on specialized platforms. Customer accounts at its federations and subsidiaries were not used.

The bank said clients faced no financial losses. Some transfers were delayed after it temporarily suspended certain transactions as a precaution.

Attack Came Through a Service Provider

The bank rejected reports that its Fortuneo online banking unit was the entry point. It said attackers reached Credit Mutuel Arkea through a third-party provider’s platform.

Officials described a sophisticated external attack and said it was not caused by human error at Arkea.

Paris Prosecutors Open Investigation

The Paris prosecutor’s office told AFP it opened an inquiry after a complaint from the bank on November 4. The case concerns an attack on an automated data system by an organized group. It was assigned to France’s anti-cybercrime office.

The bank would not confirm a figure of €118 million reported by Le Télégramme. It said it could validate only the order of magnitude.

Some of the funds have been blocked, and recovery efforts are continuing. The group said the sums would not threaten its financial health.

Most operations resumed on the morning of November 4 after extra security checks.

Independent investigator ZachXBT said the stolen funds were routed through accounts on crypto exchange platforms, AFP reported.

The case follows other recent cyber incidents in France. Those include attacks on supermarket refrigeration and on blood storage sites.