Account hacking, phishing, ransomware, false transfer orders, data breaches, but also website disfigurement, viruses, denial of service or even attacks against IPBXs… In the space of just a few years, cybermalveillance.gouv.fr saw its attendance increase from 200,000 visits (in 2017) to more than 3.7 million in 2023. In total, 12 million people came to seek help from the one-stop shop for cybersecurity.
A figure exacerbated during the pandemic, which constituted an aggravating factor for threats by exploiting the vulnerability of employees working remotely without being systematically equipped with the right equipment or the right reflexes to have in terms of cybersecurity. A figure which, if it testifies to the increase in the notoriety of the platform, above all highlights the importance of the threat, with a cybercriminal environment which has become professional and which has demonstrated its capacity to adapt to current affairs with infinite creativity.
Also read: Cybersecurity: ransomware paid off, but it pays more
In total, the system has to date identified 51 cyber attacks and more than 500 pieces of content ranging from practical sheets, guides, tutorials and other videos to alert and empower its audiences in the face of the threat. And yet, if the threats are proven, if no sector of activity or target escapes attacks, if the media have never talked about it so much, if the cybersecurity sector and public and private actors mobilize with information relays and initiatives, it is clear that too few audiences, whether individuals, businesses or communities, have yet taken the measure of the challenge it represents.
Certainly, companies have begun their digital transformation, accelerated by the pandemic, but without necessarily accompanying it with a cyber component. As a result, these same companies are today more exposed and therefore more vulnerable to the threat. Thus, almost 1 in 2 companies still do not have a cybersecurity policy and most of them are convinced that they cannot cope with cyber risk. This observation is all the more worrying given that the perception of most VSEs and SMEs regarding cyber issues remains very far from reality and that very few are aware of the urgency of taking charge of this issue.
Far from being trivial, the impacts of a cyberattack can sometimes prove fatal for organizations. Data theft, cessation of activity, operating loss, legal damage… Behind these damages also hide indirect costs and issues linked to the strategic assets and reputation of the entities concerned with equally long-term effects. harmful… If cyber-malvolence is not inevitable, cybersecurity is everyone’s business. And in the face of threats, solutions exist! Also, it is essential that organizations, whatever their size, get themselves in working order.
Our national assistance system for victims of cybercrime, cybermalveillance.gouv.frworks closely with its members, made up of professional federations among others, to raise awareness among each French company about the actions to be taken on both the technical and human aspects, to enable them to secure their information systems as early as possible but also to empower all their employees to prepare and train them to be stronger in the face of cyber risk.
To evolve in a trusted digital world, we all have a responsibility to play as a company, but also as a collaborator.
Beyond the 500 open license contents, the system offers a diagnosis to identify the threat to which victims are subject and provides personalized advice. In addition, if necessary, the platform suggests contact with more than 1,200 listed service providers for remediation. Finally, as a preventative measure, cybermalveillance.gouv.fr offers organizations a security service implemented by certified trusted service providers.
Adopt good reflexes
I am convinced that to evolve in a trusted digital world, we all have a responsibility to play as a company, but also as collaborators. To do this, knowing the reflexes to adopt is decisive. It is essential to choose strong and different passwords for each service, to make regular, disconnected backups of your data, to update – without delay – all your equipment and systems, to be vigilant in the face of phishing messages, and to be accompanied by trusted service providers.
Jérôme Notin, general director of Cybermalveillance.gouv.fr – Pierre Morel
These are 5 essential recommendations for businesses and which I encourage you to share without moderation in your organization. You can also raise awareness among your stakeholders about the societal issue of cybersecurity. Your contribution to our public interest approach will be even more virtuous. Be cyber responsible too!
Also read: Cyber risk: the road is still long
2024-02-05 15:05:56
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