Over a million confidential files relating to particularly sensitive cases are currently for sale on the Darknet.
"An investigation has been underway since July 1 regarding a computer attack suffered by a law firm in May and June 2021,"
Le Figaro
learned on
Wednesday November 24, confirming information from Franceinfo. The firm in question, specializing in victim assistance, is involved in several sensitive issues such as the
Charlie Hebdo
massacre
in 2015 or the murder of Samuel Paty. The investigations were entrusted to the judicial police of Lyon and to the Central Office for the fight against crime related to information and communication technologies, added the prosecution.
Read the reportThe most incredible cyberattacks in history
According to Franceinfo, a photo of the
Charlie Hebdo
crime scene
was posted on a hacker forum before being deleted.
The Swiss media RTS, which got wind of this case while investigating cyber attacks that took place in Switzerland, reports that acts of investigations, reports of hearings of witnesses and defendants but also autopsy reports or in still requests or judgments have leaked.
The hacker group said it was in possession of more than a million documents, representing 820 gigabytes in total, we can read on a note published on the Darknet. The files concerning the attack against
Charlie Hebdo would
represent, them, 21 gigabytes. The "Everest Ransomware Groupe" hacker group is suspected of being behind this large-scale hack. The documents are also not free but are on sale for prices of up to $ 100,000, says RTS. The law firm, victim of blackmail, told Swiss media that it had lodged a complaint
"as soon as it became aware of the leak". "Our firm, as well as the clients we defend, are the first victims of this act of piracy,"
he added.
A judicial investigation was, moreover, opened on November 14, 2021 of the counts of
“fraudulent maintenance in an automated data processing system, entry and modification of data in such a system, hindering the operation of such a system, extortion in organized gang and criminal association ”
, concerning a man suspected of having played an intermediary role between the hackers and the cabinet, specified a judicial source in
Figaro
.
The individual was indicted and placed under judicial supervision.