Digital workspaces (ENT) seem to be becoming prime targets for cyberterrorists. After a first wave of attacks in high schools in Île-de-Francethe north of the country also passes through it.
“Monday, 122 establishments will explode“. The message that parents of students at a Lille college were able to consult on Saturday March 23 leaves no doubt about the intentions of its author. After threats made in the name of the Islamic State against several high schools in Île-de-France in the middle of last week, it is the turn of the rectorate of Amiens and Lille to be the victim of a cyberattack.
“Reinforced security” this Monday
“The ENT accounts of several academy establishments were hacked last night», Explained the Lille rectorate on March 23, without specifying exactly how many schools were targeted. On the Amiens side, there are five establishments (three high schools and two middle schools) which “are concerned», Details the Somme prefecture. There too, the pirate “reports a number of establishments» targeted, therefore not content with threatening a particular school.
“Complaints were filed in parallel by the heads of establishments and by the rectorate in order to allow the first investigations» detailed the prefecture, which nevertheless ensures that “educational establishments remain open this Monday, under conditions of reinforced security for the five establishments mentioned» in the message aimed at the Amiens rectorate. Numerous reports have also been made on the Pharos platform, where alerts for illegal online content are centralized.
Disabled ENTs “until further notice»
Access to the ENT account has been suspended in order to “to prevent the spread of threat messages» explained the Somme prefecture. The same goes for the Lille rectorate whose “lhas ENT messaging function» has been deactivated «until further notice“. On the side of the Ministry of National Education, it is specified that it “This is not an attack on computer systems, but identity theft“. Which did not prevent Minister Nicole Belloubet from announcing a future “audit on the security of ENTs, to see if there are any possibly repairable flaws“.
“They think they stay anonymous, but we track them», had already affirmed the Prime Minister after the hacking of the Ile-de-France ENTs. “Several dozen perpetrators of these threats, who intervened in recent months, have already been brought to justice», added the head of government. By the end of 2023, nearly 800 false bomb threats targeting educational establishments had already been recorded by state services.
Source : France 3 – Regions
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