As a symbol of the expansion of a threat. The International Cybersecurity Forum (FIC) opens its doors on Wednesday in Lille, in the North, while the town hall remains affected by a cyberattack. On April 5, 6 and 7, at Lille Grand Palais, the event will bring together experts, specialized companies and “ethical” hackers. About 15,000 visitors are expected to talk about the rise in attacks and the means to respond to them.
Each year, cybercriminals without borders carry out hundreds of millions of digital attacks, both against individuals and against large companies or communities. Their modi operandi most often consist of demanding a ransom after having locked or stolen data and reselling it on the “dark web” (the most difficult to access part of the internet) to the highest bidder. It also consists of convincing their victims, by means of a phishing email, to click on links in order, for example, to steal their bank codes.
Ransomware threats up 22%
Lille is not spared by these attacks. Poorly protected organizations, as communities or hospitals often are, have become prime targets, especially in France, even if they rarely pay ransoms. On March 1, the city of Lille recognized a major theft of personal data, in particular from its agents, with a ransom demand. Since then, the services of the town hall must operate without e-mails.
In the third quarter of 2022, the cybersecurity company Trend Micro detected 4 million ransomware threats (sending malware by email), up 22% year-on-year. Awareness is gradually spreading in France, but many organizations have not yet taken sufficient protective measures. This is why the National Information Systems Security Agency (Anssi) distributes turnkey solutions to everyone, as its new director general Vincent Strubel explained to AFP.
State boycott
More and more organizations are therefore becoming aware of the importance of investing in cybersecurity. According to Gartner, this market will reach 267 billion dollars in 2026 against 172 billion in 2022. But the global cost of damage from cyberattacks will reach 10,000 billion, according to McKinsey.
In addition, and this is the first time that this has happened, the Minister of the Interior, Gérald Darmanin, canceled the presence of state services, as well as the visit of ministers to this event. The Gendarmerie and the police usually had large stands there. The reason ? The co-organizer of the FIC, the consulting firm Avisa Partners, is accused by some media of questionable influence practices.