Telephone communications, internet, and all computer systems were cut.
A new computer attack illustrates the fragility of French hospitals in the face of this danger. After Corbeil-Essonnes in August, the hospital center of Versailles, at Chesnay-Rocquencourt, has, since Saturday evening, been the victim of a massive hacking. According to the Minister Delegate for Digital, Jean-Noel Barrot, the operating methods are “similar”, with the same consequences on the organization of the establishment. The reception of patients is “extremely disturbed”.
Telephone communications, internet, all computer systems were cut. The nursing staff had to take paper and pencil for all the tasks. Jean-Noël Barrot, who went there on Sunday morning, recommends calling 15 to possibly be rerouted to other health establishments. Two patients have already had to be transferred from the Versailles hospital to other establishments, and a dozen could be “in the days to come”.
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The first measure taken once the cyberattack was noticed was to isolate the establishment from the rest of the network by computer to avoid contagion. Reinforcement IT teams arrived from Grenoble overnight from Saturday to Sunday. “We are in an analysis phase,” said the minister. The Paris cyber prosecutor’s office was seized of the case and a complaint was filed on Sunday at 4 p.m. “The threat is progressing, becoming more massive, becoming more professional and increasingly targeting our hospitals,” said Jean-Noël Barrot.
With the Minister of Health, he announced a budgetary reinforcement of 20 million euros for the “safety courses” of hospitals. For eighteen months, “a certain number of establishments have been able to prepare”. But that is still not enough.
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