Marc Sztulman is one of the first speakers to speak on the stage of the Théâtre de la Cité during this first CyberTour Toulouse. This theatrical setting is perfectly suited to the Occitanie regional councilor in charge of digital technology, as the elected socialist and lawyer masters the art of oratory and likes to serve his audience with metaphors and quotes of which he has the secret. “Some people make the mistake of comparing cyberattacks to a game of chess. But it is more of a poker game that cybercriminals organize with their victims. There is an information asymmetry in poker that there is not in chess. There, in addition, you have no idea who you are facing and the risk of going all-in is even greater. Every day, companies that do not cyber secure agree to play an ultra-dangerous game,” estimates Marc Sztulman, president of the Cyber’Occ center.
“These types of attacks are profitable. The return on investment is high and the criminal risk is low. The question is how we respond collectively, each to the maximum of our abilities, to ensure the security of cities, businesses and citizens. We have left the golden age of security, as Stéphan Zweig would say in his work The World of Yesterday. We constantly need to remind ourselves of good practices,” concludes the regional elected official in charge of digital technology.
“Bringing together cybersecurity players to reverse the balance of power”
“The founding fathers of the internet did not think about cybersecurity. Digital is a cure and a poison. We see this particularly with artificial intelligence. Algorithms can be used to better detect diseases or create increasingly sophisticated misinformation and scams. Today, 60 to 70% of attacks concern hospitals, SMEs and communities. Sensitive structures. Attacking a hospital can destroy lives. Attacking an SME can destroy it financially,” recalls, a little later, Yann Bonnet, deputy general director of Campus Cyber, a national initiative which aims to create places in each region to bring together all public and private stakeholders in cybersecurity.
In Occitanie, a campus focused on digital technology and cybersecurity, supported in particular by Toulouse Métropole, is announced as part of the Grand Matabiau project. “This will be an opportunity to mobilize synergies,” presents Bertrand Serp, vice-president of Toulouse Métropole in charge of digital. “Toulouse aspires to become an innovative and protective metropolis, for its citizens and for its entrepreneurs. AI and cybersecurity are at the heart of our digital transformation strategy. »
“We need to bring together more cybersecurity players to reverse the balance of power. One of the main issues is training. We will have to train massively. 60,000 positions are unfilled in the sector. We are going to carry out a major communication campaign with Radio France and France TV to attract young and old alike to careers in cyber,” explains Yann Bonnet.
“During the Olympics, we prepared for a tsunami. Finally we had a big wave”
Then it was the turn of Sophie Lambert, head of the cyber crisis anticipation and management department at the Ministry of the Interior, and Vincent Loriot, deputy assistant director of Strategy at the National Security Systems Agency. information (Anssi) to express themselves. They testified about their experience during the last Olympic Games, protected by their services.
“The Olympic Games went smoothly because we put ourselves in battle order. We have analyzed cyberattacks during the various Olympic Games since 2008. We have been able to train during several events, such as during the 2022 Football World Cup in Qatar, where we helped the Qataris, then during the Rugby World Cup 2023 in France,” recalls Sophie Lambert.
“It was a very complex issue. During the Olympic Games, we had more than 500 actors to protect spread across thirty-five sites. We had to improve the skills of all these actors. And everyone coordinates so that everything goes as well as possible. In terms of attacks, we had prepared for a tsunami. Finally we had a big wave. 548 attacks took place, 465 of which were low intensity. There were three serious incidents but we managed to control them fairly quickly,” says Vincent Loriot.
“Some told us that we must have been alarmist before the Olympics because 548 attacks are ultimately not many. It’s far from just luck, it’s a lot of work. It is because we mobilized very strongly and anticipated all the scenarios that this event went particularly well. This is proof of the value of truly joint work between cyber players. And now, we must not relax our efforts because this is what cybercriminals are waiting for! », insists the head of the cyber crisis anticipation and management department at the Ministry of the Interior.
Matthias Hardoy
In the photos:
> Sophie Lambert, head of the cyber crisis anticipation and management department at the Ministry of the Interior, and Vincent Loriot, deputy assistant director of Strategy at the National Information Systems Security Agency (Anssi) .
> Marc Sztulman, vice-president of the Occitanie Region in charge of digital.
> Bertrand Serp, vice-president of Toulouse Métropole in charge of digital.
> Yann Bonnet, Deputy Director General of Campus Cyber, a national initiative which aims to create places in each region to bring together all public and private cybersecurity players.
> Stéphane Lenco, Global CISO of the Thales group,
> F Frédéric Zink, Managing Director of Orange Cyberdéfense France
> Below, Bruno Charrat, Deputy of the CEA technological research department in charge of coordinating cybersecurity activities.
Credits: Rémy Gabalda-ToulÉco.
