Yanis Darras 7:20 a.m., March 26, 2022

In an increasingly digital world, cybercrime is exploding.

Faced with the risks of hacking, cyber defense companies are organizing the response.

At the microphone of Europe 1, the director general of Orange Cyberdefense, Hugues Foulon, returned to the action of his company to protect the data of their customers.

INTERVIEW

Computer, smartphone, home automation, digital has invaded our lives.

Connectivity that remains poorly protected and vulnerable to cybercriminals.

In France, the town of Saumur was attacked this week, rendering some services unavailable.

Professionals in the sector are not spared either, like the company Microsoft, victim of a cyberattack last week.

40 GB of confidential data were then hacked.

A threat, which also hovers over the States, which fear large-scale attacks against a backdrop of war in Ukraine.

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"As the digital takes place, the threat grows", underlines Hugues Foulon, CEO of Orange Cyberdefense.

"At Orange, we have seen that the number of cyberattacks increased by 13% in 2021 compared to 2020. These cyberattacks mainly affect professionals and SMEs. 75% of attacks target medium-sized companies. So we think that it is reserved for large groups, but not only", he explains at the microphone of Europe 1.

Data encryption, data theft, espionage... There are many cyberattacks against companies, assures Hugues Foulon, explaining "that all companies of all sizes are subject to this type of attack".

"No absolute answer"

Faced with the threat, Emmanuel Macron announced a few months ago a plan of one billion euros to fight against cybercrime and promised 1,500 cyber patrollers.

If these announcements are positive for the CEO of Orange Cyberdefense, the latter judges "that there is no absolute answer".

And to add: "On the other hand, I think that we must salute the awareness and the means which are allocated to promote the protection of all the actors, not only the big ones, but also the small ones."

However, Hugues Foulon warns of the lack of experts present on the market and the absence of French start-ups on the cybersecurity market, in order to "not leave this market only to American or Israeli players". 

Offers for private individuals in reflection

Particularly targeted, companies are for the moment the only clientele of Orange Cyberdefense: "We have just launched an offer to pros/SMEs in February, which is called "Cyber ​​Protection" and which allows you to have all the intelligence from Orange Cyberdefense. And it costs ten euros per post", welcomes Hugues Foulon, who is targeting companies with a tight budget. 

But the offer could also be extended to individuals: "We are thinking about it. (...) Orange Cyberdefense is not yet present on the individual market, but we are thinking about it seriously. We think that more and more, people who previously weren't concerned about their cybersecurity, who thought their Mac was protected or who only bought an antivirus, will need more protection", judges the CEO of Orange Cyberdefense.

Because Hugues Foulon warns: "The question that our customers ask themselves is not 'Are they going to be attacked', but when are they going to be attacked. So digital offers great things, but also risks."