Cyber Incident Victim: Habitat Audois
Date:
Oct 2023
Location:
France
Summary
Habitat Audois experienced a cyberattack disrupting email access and standard telephone services, prompting the implementation of alternative contact numbers for urgent technical issues and tenant support. The organization advised tenants to utilize their dedicated online portal for routine services like contacting sector managers and online payments, while housing applicants were directed to a government platform for processing requests. Physical offices remained operational, but full service restoration timelines were unspecified, with gradual recovery anticipated over subsequent weeks. Staff maintained continuity efforts through temporary communication channels during the outage.
| 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
On October 21, 2023, Habitat Audois, a social housing provider based in Carcassonne, France, experienced a cyberattack that disrupted its operational capabilities. The attack immediately halted access to the organization’s email systems and rendered its primary telephone standard inoperable, preventing tenants from reaching customer service through regular channels. Habitat Audois confirmed the incident on the same day, activating emergency measures to maintain limited service continuity. Urgent technical complaints from tenants were redirected via call forwarding from the organization’s main number (04 68 10 32 50) to an emergency phone line. Critical infrastructure systems related to tenant services—including heating, ventilation (VMC), antennas, and security systems—faced potential operational uncertainties due to communication barriers. The attack forced immediate reliance on alternative communication methods, though physical offices remained open to the public.
The cyberattack’s impacts persisted beyond the initial disruption, with Habitat Audois unable to provide a definitive timeline for restoring normal operations as of late October 2023. Tenants retained access to their dedicated online portals via habitat-audois.fr for routine tasks like contacting sector managers, making online payments, and referencing account details. Prospective tenants were directed to the national social housing application platform (demande-logement-social.gouv.fr) for registration and updates. Temporary phone numbers were published for specific departments: Patrimoine (07 87 25 64 81 or 07 88 88 68 55) handled heating and security issues; Régie (06 72 63 86 21 or 07 88 41 78 02) addressed broader technical concerns; and Relations Locatives (06 76 24 84 42 or 06 79 77 06 13) managed tenancy-related inquiries. Payment processing continued via checks, phone encaissement (04 30 34 22 09), and online portals, with Intersa listed as an external support provider. Habitat Audois emphasized staff mobilization across all departments but anticipated a gradual recovery spanning weeks rather than days, with no evidence of data compromise or ransomware disclosed in available reports.