Cyber Incident Victim: Vals de Saintonge Communauté
Date:
Jan 2022
Location:
France
Summary
A cyberattack described as an external intrusion paralyzed the official website of Vals de Saintonge Communauté, rendering it inaccessible long-term. The incident did not compromise personal data, as the affected site hosted only publicly available information. While the primary website remained offline, other critical systems—including the family kiosk, geographic information systems, aquatic center platform, and core business applications—continued functioning normally. The community deployed alternative communication channels such as a dedicated download platform, direct mailing, social media, and existing service portals to maintain public information dissemination. Development of a replacement website was underway to permanently address the disruption caused by the attack.
| CIA Posture | Motives | Tactics, Techniques & Procedures |
|---|---|---|
| Available to members | 2 motives | 1 technique |
| Threat Actors | Type | Location |
|---|---|---|
| 0 actors | Available to members | Available to members |
Description
In early January 2022, Vals de Saintonge Communauté, a community of municipalities in France’s Charente-Maritime region, experienced a significant cybersecurity incident involving an external attack targeting its digital infrastructure. The attack disrupted public access to the organization’s primary website (www.valsdesaintonge.fr), which served as a central hub for information about local services, facilities, and administrative updates across its 110 member communes. The compromise rendered the site completely inaccessible, severing a key communication channel between the intercommunal authority and residents. Technical teams confirmed the incident as malicious in origin but did not publicly disclose the specific attack vector or perpetrator details. While the main website remained paralyzed, internal assessments verified that other critical business applications—including the Kiosque famille (a family services portal), the Geographic Information System (SIG), and the Atlantys aquatic center’s dedicated site—remained operational throughout the incident. This selective disruption suggested a focused targeting of the public-facing web presence rather than a comprehensive network compromise.
The community’s communications unit issued a statement clarifying that no personal data breaches occurred, as the compromised website exclusively hosted publicly available information such as facility addresses, event calendars, and service directories. With the original site deemed irrecoverable, Vals de Saintonge Communauté initiated development of a replacement platform while maintaining static informational resources through alternative channels. These included expanded use of the Kiosque famille portal, direct email distributions, social media updates, and a temporary file-download platform for essential documents. A year after the attack, as of January 2023, the new website remained under development, with the legacy site still offline. The prolonged outage underscored the operational challenges faced by rural intercommunal entities in restoring complex digital services post-incident. Throughout the response, the community prioritized continuity of citizen-facing services by redirecting resources to unaffected systems and maintaining transparency about recovery timelines through its adapted communication workflows.