Cyber Incident Victim: Finistère Habitat
Date:
Nov 2020
Location:
France
Summary
Finistère Habitat, a social landlord, experienced a severe ransomware attack that disrupted its operations for over ten days, paralyzing departmental services. The NetWalker ransomware encrypted the organization's data and demanded payment to prevent public disclosure of stolen information, though the victim publicly refused to comply with the extortion demands. The cybercriminals imposed a deadline for ransom payment, threatening to release exfiltrated data if their conditions were not met.
| CIA Posture | Motives | Tactics, Techniques & Procedures |
|---|---|---|
| Available to members | 3 motives | 1 technique |
| Threat Actor | Type | Location |
|---|---|---|
| 1 actor | Available to members | Available to members |
Description
On or around November 3, 2020, the social landlord organization Finistère Habitat experienced a cyberattack that severely disrupted its operations. The attack involved NetWalker ransomware, a type of malware designed to encrypt data and demand payment for decryption. By November 13, the ransomware had paralyzed departmental office services for over ten days, indicating sustained operational disruption. The NetWalker group publicly claimed responsibility for the attack on their dark web blog, where they issued a ransom deadline set for the Thursday evening following the article's publication date. The cybercriminals threatened to publish stolen organizational data unless Finistère Habitat paid the demanded sum by their specified deadline.
Finistère Habitat confirmed the ransomware’s identity and the attackers’ data exfiltration threat but publicly declared it would not comply with the extortion demands. The organization’s operational paralysis persisted as critical systems remained encrypted, though specific affected services or infrastructure details were not disclosed in available reports. No financial demands or data theft specifics were revealed beyond the confirmation of stolen information. The incident represented a confirmed NetWalker ransomware operation during late 2020, aligning with the group’s established pattern of double-extortion tactics involving data encryption and leakage threats. Finistère Habitat maintained its non-negotiation stance despite ongoing service disruptions and the impending data disclosure deadline.