The cybercrime section of the Paris public prosecutor's office on Tuesday opened an investigation after the computer attack on Monday the Villefranche-sur-Saône hospital center (Rhône).
The investigation was opened for "attacks on an automated data processing system and attempted organized gang extortion," said the Paris prosecutor's office, which has national jurisdiction over cybercrime.
The Villefranche-sur-Saône hospital group announced on Monday that it was the victim of a “major” computer attack, detected at 4:30 am by the RYUK crypto-virus (“ransomware”).
All surgical interventions scheduled for Tuesday postponed
This cyberattack had "strongly" impacted the sites of Villefranche, Tarare and Trévoux of the North West Hospital, and all the surgical interventions scheduled for Tuesday had to be postponed, the hospital had detailed in a statement.
In this type of attack, hackers break into the computer system and then encrypt its files to make them inoperative, demanding a ransom to unlock them.
In order to limit the spread of the virus, access to the information system and to the Internet had been cut and workstations disconnected with the exception of the emergency switchboard.
But all the telephony was made inaccessible, the establishment had specified.
The safety of patients treated in the continuing care and resuscitation service of Villefranche as well as that of infants staying in the neonatal service had been ensured and no transfer had been scheduled, according to the hospital.
The prosecution also seized for the attack of Dax
Patients requiring emergency services at the Villefranche and Tarare sites were referred to other hospitals or clinics.
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Last week, the Dax hospital (Landes) was the target of a cyber attack by "ransomware" which had "paralyzed" "almost all information systems".
The cybercrime section of the Paris prosecutor's office also took up the investigation.
According to a recent report from the French Information Systems Security Agency (Anssi), hospitals and other entities in the health sector represent one of the prime targets of ransomware attackers.
This trend has "increased in 2020, especially in the context of a pandemic linked to Covid-19".
