France, Sept. 5 -- "We may be one of the most targeted countries," says Benoît Grunemwald, a cybersecurity expert with ESET, a Slovakia-based company that provides security services in France, Europe and beyond. "We are in the top five for sure."

But he is careful not to suggest that France is unique.

"It's not only France that is targeted, it's all countries going digital," he says. "European countries are going more and more digital, and being digital means having the opportunity to be breached."

France's political and economic weight make it a target for foreign governments - notably its support for Ukraine, which has drawn attacks linked to Russia.

But attacks are increasingly going after personal data, exploiting systems tha...