Trois Cantons Ambulances

Trois Cantons Ambulances, also known as Ambulances of the Three Cantons and Peyrehorade Ambulances, is an ambulance service headquartered in Peyrehorade, France. The organization operates under the name that reflects its service area covering the three cantons surrounding the town. Its primary function is to provide medical transport, encompassing both emergency responses and scheduled patient transfers. As part of its operations, the service maintains records of patient appointments, contact information, and billing details to coordinate transport logistics. The ambulance service is integrated into the regional healthcare network, working alongside local health authorities to ensure timely medical transportation for residents.

On 6 December 2022, Trois Cantons Ambulances experienced a ransomware cyberattack that encrypted and erased its primary software systems. The attack resulted in the complete loss of digital records, including patient appointment schedules, contact databases, and billing information. Consequently, the organization was forced to suspend electronic operations and revert to manual, paper‑based processes for managing daily activities. Staff relied on printed schedules to continue essential transports while advising patients to confirm any upcoming appointments by telephone due to the inaccessible databases. In response to the incident, the ambulance service engaged with regional health agencies, insurance providers, legal counsel, and accounting specialists to address the breach and begin recovery efforts. Technicians focused on securing the compromised systems and restoring data integrity, while the organization continued to operate under heightened cybersecurity precautions. The event highlighted the vulnerability of healthcare‑related service providers to ransomware threats and prompted a review of internal data protection measures.