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French bank says cyberattack used its account for large fraudulent transfers
BleepingComputer reported that Crédit Mutuel Arkéa said attackers reached it through a service provider and used the bank's own account for fraudulent transfers on the order of tens of millions of euros.
French cooperative bank Crédit Mutuel Arkéa said a cyberattack enabled fraudulent transfers from the bank's own account after an attacker reached its network through a service provider, BleepingComputer reported Saturday1.
The group, which BleepingComputer said has more than 5.8 million members and 211.5 billion euros in assets, disclosed the incident on Nov. 4 and said it was closed and under control, with operations gradually returning to normal1.
In a Nov. 4 statement linked by BleepingComputer, the bank said customer assets were not affected and that the episode caused delays in some transfer transactions1. BleepingComputer said the bank responded by suspending certain systems1.
A bank FAQ cited by BleepingComputer said the attacker used Arkéa's own account to transact with other institutions and convert funds into cryptocurrency, and that Fortuneo was not the service provider involved1.
Blockchain investigator ZachXBT had warned on Nov. 2 of unauthorized withdrawals from multiple centralized-exchange accounts a day earlier and later estimated up to 118 million euros ($133 million) taken as USDC and USDT, BleepingComputer reported1. ZachXBT also said delayed public disclosure let the attacker launder about $30 million by Nov. 3 that EU law enforcement might otherwise have frozen1.
The bank did not confirm that figure, BleepingComputer said, stating it could validate only the order of magnitude and that some funds were blocked1. Arkéa ruled out human error at the bank, called the incident a sophisticated attack, and said it is working with judicial authorities and police on origin and method1.
The bank warned of phishing risk after the attack and told customers not to share credentials or card data in unsolicited messages1. BleepingComputer said it had contacted Arkéa and had not received a reply1.
