Hospitals: the government launches a cyberattack preparedness program

Europe 1 with AFP 5:07 p.m., December 21, 2022

The government announced on Wednesday that it was launching a "vast preparation program" for health establishments against cyberattacks after the hospitals of Corbeil-Essonnes and Versailles have been victims of major computer hacks in recent months.

“The objective is that 100% of the highest priority health establishments have carried out new exercises by May 2023”, explain in a joint press release the Ministers of the Interior Gérald Darmanin, of Health François Braun and the Minister Delegate at Digital Jean-Noël Barrot.

"A digital white plan will be drawn up in the first quarter of 2023 to provide establishments with the reflexes and practices to adopt if a cyber incident occurs", such as the activation of a crisis unit or the assessment of the damage caused by hackers, adds the press release.

This plan should make it possible to "pool the competent resources at the level of each region in conjunction with the Regional Health Agencies (ARS)".

A thousand ransomware attacks recorded in 2021

A "task force" responsible for building a new massive multi-annual cyber plan project by March 2023 has also been created.

The Sud Francilien Hospital Center (CHSF) in Corbeil-Essonnes in August and the Versailles Hospital Center (CHV) in early December were victims of cyberattacks via Lockbit ransomware, seriously affecting their activities and forcing them to transfer patients to other hospitals.

In 2021, a thousand ransomware attacks were recorded in France, according to the Ministry of the Interior and around 260,000 cyber-related legal proceedings were opened (+20% compared to 2020).

During attacks against public bodies, the "constant posture" of the state is not to pay ransoms, the ministers recall.