The Hauts-de-Seine department has just been the victim of a cyberattack. On the morning of Tuesday, May 20, 2025, the departmental council announced that it had been targeted by a "large-scale" computer attack. The attack paralyzed "all information systems and usual means of communication." These have been deactivated "as a precaution" and for an "indefinite period."
According to information gleaned by our colleagues at La Tribune, the administration is currently operating at a slow pace. The community, which has 1.6 million inhabitants, assures that "all measures are being implemented to assess the impact, protect the data of employees and users, and restore access to the network and applications." The department added that "IT system teams and service providers are fully mobilized in this regard." For the moment, the department has not wished to disclose the exact nature of the attack. It is unknown whether it is a ransomware cyberattack or a simple DDoS-type offensive. In any case, this is not the first time the department has been the target of a cyberattack. In 2023, the departmental council was already the victim of a computer intrusion that forced it to cut off its telephone services. In the past, several towns in the department have also been attacked by ransomware. This is the case in Chaville and Saint-Cloud. The town halls had received a ransom demand from the Lockbit gang, the king of ransomware.
The department is a prime target for cybercriminals. It is home to the La Défense business district and a handful of densely populated municipalities in the Paris region, namely Nanterre, Boulogne-Billancourt, Neuilly-sur-Seine, and Levallois-Perret. Local authorities are among the preferred targets of cybercriminals. According to a study conducted by Cybermalveillance.gouv.fr and OpinionWay, one in ten local authorities has been the victim of a cyberattack in the last twelve months. In most cases, they are targeted by hackers specializing in extortion.
Source: La Tribune
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