Florence Parly will announce the recruitment of nearly 800 cyber-fighters

Europe1 .fr with AFP 7:00 p.m., September 8, 2021

The French Ministry of the Armed Forces is strengthening its protection against cyber attacks.

Florence Parly is to announce the hiring of nearly 800 additional cyber-fighters, in addition to the 1,100 hires initially planned by 2025, in the face of "the multiplication and severity of cyber attacks".

While France has had a military cyber defense command ("Comcyber") since 2017, the 2019-2025 Military Programming Law (LPM) provides for a budget of 1.6 billion euros for cyber defense and the recruitment of 1,100 additional cyber fighters to reach a workforce of 4,000 people.

>> READ ALSO

- Microsoft victim of a massive cyber attack: the worrying vulnerability of our systems

However "given the multiplication and seriousness of cyber attacks, I decided to intensify recruitments during the period 2019-2025", plans to declare the minister at the International Forum of cybersecurity in Lille (North), because " of a 'new space of conflict', we are today wondering about the existence of a 'Cold War in cyberspace', "where Russians and Chinese are regularly accused of predation by the West. Thus, "the Ministry of the Armed Forces will recruit 770 cyber-combatants in addition to the 1,100 initially planned" to reach 5,000 personnel in 2025 within the armed forces, the General Directorate of Armaments (DGA) and the French foreign intelligence service DGSE, she explains in her speech, recalling theFrance's ambition to become "a champion of cybersecurity".

An upsurge in the number of attacks

Data theft and ransomware attacks have increased in recent months around the world, targeting various companies and administrations, including a US pipeline operator, a meat packing company, the Irish health services IT system and a large Indian airline.

The cyber issue also has a military dimension, reminds Florence Parly.

"The Ministry of the Armed Forces has missions and challenges (...) which require that we use the cyber weapon in support of our operations. Our adversaries are not deprived of it, whether they are state powers, terrorist groups or their supporters ".

In the theater of Operation Barkhane in the Sahel, which mobilizes more than 5,000 French soldiers and must be profoundly redesigned in the coming months, "we have recently seen an increase in attacks," the minister said in particular. As part of the French presidency of the Council of the European Union, in the first half of 2022, Paris intends to organize a forum in January bringing together cyber commanders from the 27 member states, assured Florence Parly.