this “terrorist” attack is “inadmissible”, reacts the Minister of Health

“It is unacceptable”, reacts François Braun, Minister of Health and Prevention on franceinfo this Tuesday, September 27, after the cyberattack on the Corbeil-Essonnes hospital, in Essonne, on August 22, and the dissemination, since Sunday, of health data pirated. He says he condemns this attack “who can be described as a terrorist” and who puts “danger the lives of patients”.

>> Cyberattack on a hospital in Essonne: five questions about leaked health data

“We will never give in to this kind of terrorist attack and no hospital will pay a ransom”insists the minister, recalling that the government devotes 196 million euros in total to strengthening the safety of hospitals. “Hospitals were poorly protected, we are protecting them more and more”he says.

The attacking hackers followed through on their threats and leaked stolen health information. François Braun believes that “It’s absolutely shameful”, “medical data that has been released, results of pathology examinations that can say that so and so has cancer or not”. He assures that all the patients concerned have been notified personally.

François Braun recalls that he “had to urgently evacuate babies [de l’hôpital de Corbeil-Essonnes]whose safety in intensive care was not ensured precisely because of this computer attack which completely brought down the information system”.

“These are attacks that endanger the lives of patients”

François Braun, Minister of Health

at franceinfo

The Sud Francilien Hospital Center was cyberattacked on August 22 and was forced to trigger its white plan. The hackers succeeded in blocking the hospital’s computer network and demanded a ransom of 10 million euros. The Ile-de-France Regional Health Agency has activated a crisis unit. The Paris prosecutor’s office opened an investigation after the hospital filed a complaint. The National Commission for Computing and Liberties (Cnil) is seized.