Network Security

‘Unprecedented’ cyberattacks hit French government agencies

French hospital CHSF has been struck by ransomware, leading to care diversion processes and raising concerns over patient safety and morbidity risks. (Photo credit: “French flags” by quinn.anya is licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0.)

Cyberattacks of "unprecedented intensity" have impacted several of France's government agencies since the evening of Mar. 10, reports The Record, a news site by cybersecurity firm Recorded Future.

Included in the affected entities were some of the country's ministerial services, according to a statement from the French Prime Minister's Office, which noted that countermeasures to address the "intense" attacks have already been commenced but did not specify whether only public-facing sites were impacted. "The impact of these attacks has been reduced for most services and access to state websites restored," the statement said. While no further details regarding the incident were confirmed, the intrusions were suspected to be distributed denial-of-service attacks. Despite its lack of data exfiltration capabilities, DDoS attacks have been a staple among hacktivist groups, especially amid the ongoing war between Russia and Ukraine. France has not yet named a specific threat actor to be behind the attacks.

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