In just three years, cyberattacks have increased tenfold in France, targeting mainly hospitals, local authorities, large and small companies, according to figures from the cyber section of the Paris public prosecutor's office.
The latest cyberattacks took place early December, at a Versailles hospital near Paris, and at the regional council of Normandy.
International criminal groups
Accodring to prosecutors, the hacks are the work of very well organised international criminal groups.
In France, the most active are the Russian-speaking hackers called the "Lockbit" group.
Some thirty large-scale cyber attacks have been attributed to them this year, including the one committed last September on a Paris regional hospital in Corbeil-Essonnes.
They are also behind the theft of data from the French arms giant Thales.
The cyber section of the Paris public prosecutor's office, which has jurisdiction over the entire country, has opened nearly 600 probes into cyberattacks since the beginning of the year, compared with only 65 three years ago.
Ransomware attacks
Hackers introduce malicious software into the computer systems.
This software encrypts data and the hackers then demand a ransom to give back access to the files.
These ransoms can exceed 10 million euros. In the case of the Corbeil-Essonnes hospital, the ransom was not paid and the health data of some patients and staff members were revealed on the dark web.
The Mignot hospital in Versailles has already announced that it will not pay the ransom. The establishment, including emergency rooms, is still operating in a downgraded mode.
Many French companies and local authorities are still not well prepared for these cyberattacks.
