France’s Cyber Threat Landscape 2023/24
The National Cybersecurity Agency (ANSSI) has recently released a report detailing the current cyber threat landscape in France, and key findings from recent years. As we approach the 2024 Olympics, which will this year be held in France, it is crucial for French businesses and consumers to prioritise understanding and mitigating cyber risks ahead of being in the spotlight.
The Current Cyber Threat Landscape in France
The recent report highlights a recent increase in cyber espionage attacks, along with an increase in attacks against both businesses and personal mobile phones.
Report findings:
- Ransomware on the Rise: It is reported that financially motivated attacks were on the rise, with a 30% increase in ransomware attacks compared to 2022. Lockbit ransomware was the most popular ransomware used by hackers.
- Use of Zero-Day Vulnerabilities: The report highlights how hackers are continuing to exploit zero-day vulnerabilities to gain initial entry. The top five vulnerabilities exploited by threat actors to compromise French organisations in 2023 include flaws in VMWare, Cisco, Citrix, Atlassian and Progress Software products.
- Cyber Espionage Targets: In addition to public administration, organisations linked to the French government, such as defense and tech contractors, think tanks, and research institutes were the primary targets of cyber espionage.
Geopolitical Motivations
In the article from Infosecurity Magazine, they highlight that the report states "while financially motivated attacks and destabilization operations saw a clear upturn in 2023, it was once again the less noisy threat, which remains the most worrying, that of strategic and industrial espionage and pre-positioning for sabotage purposes, which mobilised the ANSSI teams the most.”
‘’These geopolitically driven threats will particularly be on ANSSI’s radar in 2024, as Paris is prepared to host the 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games.’’
How Can Businesses Protect Themselves
A tailored and comprehensive cybersecurity strategy is essential for prevention, but here are some additional tips for businesses to mitigate cyber threats.
- Endpoint Protection: Use systems that detect and stop threats where company devices are used.
- Access Control: Only give employees access to the information they need for their jobs.
- Monitoring: Keep an eye on system activities to catch suspicious behaviour early.
- Anti-Malware: Protect against malicious software with updated anti-malware tools.
- Asset Management: Know all your digital tools and systems to better protect them.
- Regular Updates: Keep software up-to-date to fix security weaknesses.
- Employee Training: Teach employees about cybersecurity and how to spot potential threats.
- Vulnerability Checks: Regularly check for and fix security weaknesses in your systems.
Stay Safe with Regular Cyber Risk Assessments
Regular checks with a risk management tool - such as DynaRisk’s Breach Check - can spot risks like weak spots, data leaks, high-risk open services, or signs of hackers planning an attack.
All-in-One Cyber Safety with Breach Defence
DynaRisk’s Breach Defence software tool offers a one-stop solution for cyber safety. It helps train your or your customers’ team, keeps an eye on hacker activity, checks for vulnerabilities, and spots data breaches, making cyber protection simpler and more effective.
Find out more about our solutions by getting in touch with our team: info@dynarisk.com