A suspected cyberattack disrupted La Poste and its banking arm La Banque Postale, taking online services offline and delaying parcel deliveries and online payments in the critical run-up to Christmas.

La Banque Postale diverted payment approvals to text messages while technicians worked to restore the outage.

BPCE group also experienced a separate IT malfunction tied to a provider, affecting websites and some apps for a few hours, though mobile apps stayed online.

Downdetector logs showed a spike in outage reports starting early morning, with similar disruptions noted in the days prior.

European security officials and France publicly frame cyber threats as part of broader hybrid warfare concerns amid Russia-Ukraine tensions, with ongoing debates over attribution.

French authorities warned of persistent cyber threats to national security and critical infrastructure, underscoring the need for resilience as European discussions about cyber operations continue.

Private French companies, including telecoms and retailers, reported cyberattacks in recent weeks, marking a wave of incidents across the private sector.

Downdetector users reported outages, reinforcing the extent of online service disruptions across multiple platforms.

BPCE later said an IT malfunction, separate from the La Poste incident, was resolved by midday, highlighting broader IT and security disturbances in finance.

The outage coincides with the Christmas shipping peak when La Poste handles a vast volume of parcels, intensifying the impact on deliveries and customer service.

Colissimo tracking and parcel sending services were affected as part of the disruptions, contributing to delivery delays during a busy period.

Paris post offices faced long lines as staff redirected or limited mail and package services amid outages.