Hacker Honeypot? BreachForums Reopens via Emails Sent from French Ministry of the Interior Domain

Emails claiming BreachForums had reopened were sent from pppj-sdpj92-ger2@interieur.gouv[.]fr, a domain that belongs to the French Ministry of the Interior, in what appears to be a phishing honeypot designed to lure cybercriminals. The incident coincided with reports that systems belonging to the ministry were breached, with email server data allegedly leaked; the ministry has not identified the attackers but described the intrusion as an unmistakable provocation.

An official statement from the ministry confirmed a cyberattack had occurred and that multiple files were accessed, noting that the motive could involve foreign interference or someone seeking to demonstrate penetration capabilities, though the precise motive remains unclear.

The ministry also stated the attack took place between 11 December and 12 December, and on 13 December an individual calling himself Indra, claiming to be the new BreachForums administrator, posted an announcement denying the operation was a phishing attempt and boasting of compromising government systems. As a result, many in the hacker community remain sceptical about the forum’s reincarnation and about Indra’s claims.