CYBER ATTACK. The computer network of the South Francilien hospital center in Corbeil-Essonnes was hacked on the night of August 20, preventing the operation of the hospital. The attackers are demanding a ransom and the Paris prosecutor’s office has opened an investigation.
[Mis à jour le 22 août à 15h44] The South Francilien hospital center in Corbeil-Essonnes, one of the largest in Ile-de-France, has been operating in slow motion since it was targeted by a cyberattack, on the night of August 20 to 21 around 2 a.m. . The entire computer network has been hacked and even blocked, forcing the establishment to activate its white plan: several deprogrammings are in progress and patients requiring urgent care or operations are being redirected to other hospitals in the region. In launching their attack, the attackers sent a message demanding the payment of a ransom of 10 million dollars otherwise they promise to maintain the computer blockage and to disclose the medical data of the patients. The Paris public prosecutor’s office, which has a cybercrime unit, requested the opening of an investigation and entrusted the investigations to the center for the fight against digital crimes (C3N) of the national gendarmerie.
The hospital center launches its white plan
The cyber attack on the hospital prevents any use of the computer system or equipment and undermines the organization of services. In a press release, the general management of the hospital specifies that “all the hospital’s business software, the storage systems (in particular medical imaging) and the information system relating to patient admissions” are ” inaccessible”. Caregivers are forced to cancel or postpone operations and refuse new patients redirecting them to other hospitals in the Ile-de-France region. Emergencies continue to operate but at a slower rate. Ambulatory care is also maintained when possible, that is to say when it can be performed outside the operating room. Another news to reassure the families of patients: patients already admitted to the CHSF continue to be cared for despite the difficulties. Information hacking does not impact all sectors: logistics, medical-technical services, security and the telephone network are still insured.
To fight against the cyberattack, computer experts were mandated by the National Information Systems Security Agency (ANSSI) to defeat the attackers. According France infothree lines of action are being studied: “identify the source of the attack, analyze the perimeter of the attack on our network, and secure the backups”.