Cyber Incident Victim: Maison de l'entreprise
Date:
Feb 2023
Location:
France
Summary
A cyberattack targeted the Maison de l'entreprise in Auxerre, paralyzing the data systems of its affiliated educational and training institutions through file encryption. The incident disrupted operations entirely, rendering all systems inaccessible. Authorities including the National Cybersecurity Agency, cybercrime units, and local police initiated an investigation, with jurisdiction transferred to Paris prosecutors due to the attack's national scope. The director described it as part of a broader international campaign affecting hundreds of thousands of systems simultaneously. Response efforts were ongoing at the time of reporting, with law enforcement emphasizing heightened protection measures for small businesses against such threats.
| CIA Posture | Motives | Tactics, Techniques & Procedures |
|---|---|---|
| Available to members | 1 motive | 1 technique |
| Threat Actors | Type | Location |
|---|---|---|
| 0 actors | Available to members | Available to members |
Description
The Maison de l'entreprise in Auxerre, Bourgogne-Franche-Comté, France, experienced a disruptive cyberattack that commenced between the night of Monday, February 20, and Tuesday, February 21, 2023. The attack targeted the shared information system of five educational and training entities housed at the Monéteau Road facility: the Ifag management school, Epsi, Itii, IET, and pôle formation 58-89. Attackers deployed file-encrypting malware that paralyzed the entire data system, rendering all digital resources inaccessible by Tuesday morning. Claude Vaucouloux, director of Ifag Auxerre, publicly confirmed the incident on Thursday, February 23, characterizing it as part of a broader international campaign affecting hundreds of thousands of systems simultaneously. The encryption-based attack remained active as of Thursday evening, with no restoration timeline provided.
Authorities initiated a coordinated response involving multiple national agencies. The Agence nationale de la sécurité des systèmes d'information (ANSSI) assumed technical leadership alongside the sous-direction nationale de la lutte contre la cybercriminalité (SDLC), while local police provided onsite support. Due to the attack's nationwide scale, jurisdictional oversight shifted from the Auxerre prosecutor's office to Paris judicial authorities. Sébastien Halm, Yonne's departmental director of public security, emphasized enhanced police preparedness stemming from 2022 cybersecurity awareness surveys and specialized agent training programs targeting SME protection. Operational impacts included complete suspension of administrative and educational activities across all affected institutions, though specific data compromise details or ransom demands were not disclosed. Recovery efforts remained ongoing with no public resolution status by the article's publication.