La Poste and La Banque Postale were hit by a suspected DDoS attack that disrupted online services, delayed package deliveries and blocked payment approvals during the busy Christmas period. Companies said customer data was not compromised and the bank routed approvals via SMS while restoring systems. The outage follows recent cyber incidents in France — including an Interior Ministry breach and an investigation into software that could remotely control a passenger ferry — prompting concerns about "hybrid warfare" tactics.
Suspected DDoS Knocked La Poste and La Banque Postale Offline, Disrupting Christmas Deliveries and Payments
FILE - A general view of France's national postal service, La Poste, in Paris, Saturday, Aug. 23, 2025. (AP Photo/Bertrand Combaldieu, File)
PARIS (AP) — A suspected distributed denial-of-service (DDoS) attack knocked France’s national postal service, La Poste, and its banking arm, La Banque Postale, offline on Monday, interrupting online services, delaying package deliveries and blocking payment approvals at the height of the Christmas rush.
La Poste said in a statement that the DDoS incident "rendered its online services inaccessible." The company stressed that customer data appeared unaffected but acknowledged widespread disruption to package and mail distribution, forcing some branches to turn away customers waiting to send or collect parcels.
La Banque Postale said its mobile app was temporarily unable to process approvals or other operations. As an interim measure, the bank redirected transaction approvals to SMS messages while teams worked to restore normal service. "Our teams are mobilized to resolve the situation quickly," the bank said on social platforms.
No immediate claim of responsibility
There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the outage. French authorities and company technicians were investigating the source of the attack as services were gradually restored.
Context: Recent Cyber Incidents in France
The outage comes a week after a cyberattack on the Interior Ministry disrupted systems that oversee national security. Interior Minister Laurent Nunez said a suspected hacker accessed and extracted a few dozen sensitive files, including records related to police files and wanted persons. French media reported that a 22-year-old suspect was detained in connection with that intrusion.
Separately, prosecutors said investigators are probing an alleged plot involving software that could remotely control computer systems aboard an international passenger ferry. Officials said a Latvian crew member is in custody and faces charges of acting on behalf of an unidentified foreign power.
French officials and some European allies have recently warned of increased "hybrid warfare" tactics — a combination of cyberattacks, disinformation, sabotage and other covert actions — that are difficult to trace quickly to a single state actor.
Outlook: Authorities and the affected companies said they are cooperating to identify the perpetrators and bolster defenses ahead of further disruptions. Consumers were advised to follow official updates from La Poste and La Banque Postale and to monitor transaction alerts on their phones.
