Muséum national d'histoire naturelle de Paris

The Muséum national d'histoire naturelle de Paris has been severely impacted by a cyberattack since late July, rendering parts of its network and critical research tools inaccessible. The attack has disrupted research activities, expertise services, and access to natural heritage databases. While the museum's public areas remain open, the attack's scale suggests potential data exfiltration, with cybercriminals possibly targeting valuable research data for commercial exploitation. The institution has refused to pay any ransom, aligning with French public administration policies. The duration of the outage and recovery timeline remain uncertain, highlighting the attack's severity.

Source: https://www.bfmtv.com/tech/cybersecurite/le-museum-national-d-histoire-naturelle-de-paris-victime-d-une-cyberattaque-vraiment-massive-depuis-plusieurs-semaines_AN-202508120212.html

TPRM report: https://www.rankiteo.com/company/museum-national-d'histoire-naturelle

"id": "mus208081225",
"linkid": "museum-national-d'histoire-naturelle",
"type": "Cyber Attack",
"date": "8/2025",
"severity": "100",
"impact": "5",
"explanation": "Attack threatening the organization's existence"

{'affected_entities': [{'industry': 'Natural Sciences, Education',
                        'location': 'Paris, France',
                        'name': "Muséum national d'histoire naturelle de Paris",
                        'type': 'Museum, Research and Educational '
                                'Institution'}],
 'customer_advisories': 'Visitors reassured that galleries, zoological parks, '
                        'and gardens remain open and functional',
 'data_breach': {'data_exfiltration': 'Possible'},
 'date_detected': 'Late July',
 'date_publicly_disclosed': 'Late July',
 'description': "The Muséum national d'histoire naturelle de Paris has been "
                'suffering from a severe cyberattack since late July, '
                'rendering several tools and parts of its system inaccessible. '
                'The attack has affected research activities, expertise tools, '
                'and access to collections. The museum has filed a complaint, '
                'and an investigation is ongoing. The museum has refused to '
                'pay any ransom.',
 'impact': {'data_compromised': 'Possible data exfiltration',
            'downtime': 'Several weeks',
            'operational_impact': 'Significant disruption to research and '
                                  'administrative activities',
            'systems_affected': 'Research tools, expertise tools, collection '
                                'consultation services'},
 'investigation_status': 'Ongoing',
 'motivation': 'Possible data exfiltration for commercial purposes',
 'ransomware': {'data_exfiltration': 'Possible', 'ransom_paid': 'No'},
 'references': [{'source': 'La Tribune'},
                {'source': 'BFMTV'},
                {'source': 'franceinfo'}],
 'response': {'communication_strategy': 'Public statements and reassurance to '
                                        'visitors',
              'incident_response_plan_activated': 'Yes',
              'law_enforcement_notified': 'Yes'},
 'title': "Cyberattack on Muséum national d'histoire naturelle de Paris",
 'type': 'Cyberattack, possible ransomware'}