In the Paris area: the Versailles hospital was seriously affected by a cyber attack

The hacking attempt forced the hospital center, located in Chenet-Rockencourt, which has 3,000 health workers and typically sees around 700 patients, to shut down its computer system and reduce patient numbers, management said. The cyberattack targets the entire facility, including the André-Mignot hospital, the DEspagne nursing home and the Richaud hospital in Versailles, she added.

According to the Regional Health Agency (ARS), André Mignot Hospital has launched its white plan, partially deprogrammed operating room operations, and is “doing its best” to maintain outpatient care and consultations. Personnel have been mobilized to supplement intensive care or continuous care services and equipment has been brought in as reinforcements while the attack is “not yet limited,” Health Minister François Braun explained on Sunday evening after touring the city. institution.

The care machines are working, but not their “networking”, “so you need more people to monitor patients in the intensive care unit, you need a person in front of each room to watch the screens,” said Mr. Brown, who spoke. about the “complete reorganization of the hospital.” “It’s a hassle, since this morning we have to redo everything on paper by hand, and doctors also have to manually write all their prescriptions for medicines,” the three nurses told AFP on condition of anonymity.

The hospital, which had already been attacked in recent months but was prevented, “put itself into data protection mode,” the minister continued. SAMU “didn’t get through” and “broke itself up to respond” in the event of a transfer, he continued. “Admission is extremely limited (…) those who have to go to the emergency room and live in the Versailles area, call 15,” Digital Transition Delegate Minister Jean-Noel Barraud said, sparking a “large-scale attack.”

According to the Minister of Health, since Saturday evening “there have already been six transfers of patients”, “the most severe” (three from intensive care and three from the neonatology department), and more transfers may take place.

The Paris prosecutor’s office opened a preliminary investigation into extortion, access and maintenance of a state-imposed digital system, data intrusion and obstruction of the system, all by an organized gang, he said.

The complaint was also filed on Sunday by the hospital. The investigation has been entrusted to the Gendarmerie Digital Crime Center (C3N), which will lead the investigation, and the Cybercrime Subdirectorate (SDLC) of the Judicial Police.

The software identified as the source of the attack belongs to a family of viruses known to cybergendarmes, according to a source familiar with the situation. Asked about a possible allegation of a hacker attack and a ransom demand, the ministers declined to answer on Sunday evening. According to François Braun, in France “the healthcare system is under daily attack” and “the vast majority of these attacks have been stopped.”

On August 22, the South Francilien (CHSF) Hospital Center in Corbeil-Essonne became the target of a cyberattack. His work was severely disrupted for several weeks before returning to normal work in mid-October. The attack was followed by a $10 million ransom demand, later reduced to one or two million dollars. On September 23, the hackers gave the hospital an ultimatum to pay the ransom. After this time, they spread confidential data about patients, staff and partners of the institution on the dark web.

These groups of hackers use ransomware or “ransomware” to exploit security flaws in their computer systems to encrypt and lock them before demanding a ransom to unlock them.