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France Éducation international (FEI) has reported a cyberattack on its GAEL platform (management of DELF and DALF diplomas) between January 9th and 12th of 2026, which may have affected the personal data of candidates and graduates. The main risk is identity theft.
According to information provided by the organisation itself, this incident has led to a breach of confidentiality of some of the personal data of candidates and holders of DELF and DALF diplomas since 2005.
France Éducation international points out that, as soon as it became aware of the incident, it took appropriate measures to stop the data leak and suspended access to the GAEL platform as a preventive measure.
Initial investigations suggest that the attack may have been the result of unauthorised access to two external user accounts. The investigation is ongoing and the organisation is considering implementing additional security measures before reopening the platform.
According to the information provided, the data affected corresponds to approximately five million candidates. The information that may have been accessed includes: address, first and last names, city and country of birth, date of birth, nationality, mother tongue and first DELF-DALF exam centre.
At this stage of the investigation, France Éducation international indicates that no other data has been compromised.
The main potential risk for those affected is identity theft, so extreme caution is advised in response to any suspicious communications.
France Éducation international has expressed its regret at the consequences of this incident and has indicated that it is continuing to work to minimise its impact. It has also announced that it is in the process of notifying the CNIL (Commission Nationale de l'Informatique et des Libertés, the French data protection authority) and filing the corresponding complaint.
An email with the information about this incident was sent in February 2026 to all the Delf candidates of Alliance Française de Melbourne .
While the breach occurred on FEI’s infrastructure in France, Alliance Française de Melbourne and infrastructure remain entirely unaffected and secure.
Please find FEI updates here.
To exercise your rights with FEI, or for any questions regarding our privacy policy, you may contact the Data Protection Officer of FEI here.
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