A computer attack launched in the middle of the night paralyzed the hospital in Dax, in the Landes, on Tuesday 9 February. Since then, the establishment has continued to operate slowly: the operating theaters are disrupted, no more radiotherapy and no more access to patient files. “It is a massive attack, exceptional for its scale and above all for its consequencesHospital director Michel Glanes explained Thursday, February 11. To get the system back on track, the hackers demand a ransom, which the state refuses to pay. “It would only encourage hackers to attack hospitals or other structures again“, estimates Benoît Elleboode, director general of the Regional Health Agency of Nouvelle-Aquitaine.
At least eight French hospitals have suffered cyber attacks in the past year, including in Paris, Rouen (Seine-Maritime), Montpellier (Hérault) or Narbonne (Aude). In question: their computer protection, often fragile. A computer expert interviewed by France Télévisions indeed manages in a few minutes to open the patient files of a French clinic with their name, date of birth, type and date of examination. Hackers often operate from China or Russia: their goal, for experts, is profit.
The JT
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