The French Rugby Federation formalized in a press release that it had been the target of a ransomware attack at the beginning of June 2023.
Although claimed by online hackers from the Play group, the ransomware attack did not result in the payment of a ransom, according to the FFR.
The FFR hopes to rekindle online pirates
In an official press release, the FFR announces that an attack took place against the servers of its internal messaging service on the night of June 7 to 8, 2023. More precisely, the federation indicates that it was the subject of an attack carried out using a ransomware-type virus. If she does not explain how she managed to block the offensive, it is certainly not due to the quality of the tackles of her players. Quite logically, the use of an antivirus with an elimination module reserved for ransomware is a much more likely track.
Concretely, the FFR affirms that the infectious software was no longer progressing on Thursday June 8, 2023 at 12 p.m. However, if the online pirates managed to force the tricolor defense, the exact assessment of the damage is not yet known. In its press release, the French Rugby Federation “ continues to research and analyze data that may have been exfiltrated as part of this attack, including emails, contacts, and calendar information. »
As it stands, it is admitted in the press release that online hackers have managed to encrypt part of the history of the activities of certain internal FFR mailboxes. However, the federation claims not to have received a ransom demand as of June 22, 2023, the date of publication of this press release.
Ransomware is still among the most effective threats
Yet the attack was claimed by online hackers known as Play. The latter have however announced, as traditionally in the context of the use of ransomware, that a ransom would be payable to them so that the stolen data is not disclosed online. Impossible to arbitrate the match between Play and the FFR in the state concerning the request or not of a ransom, but in any case, the direction of French rugby affirmed that it would not pay it.
Moreover, there is no doubt that the choice of the day of the attack is not the result of a hazardous drop on the part of online pirates, since France will kick off “its” World Cup rugby on September 8, 2023 against the All Blacks. If Play probably intended to spoil the preparation for the party, the XV tricolor seems, for the time being, to keep the advantage over the hackers.
This news nevertheless echoes the proliferation of ransomware attacks, both against public and private structures, in France and around the world in recent years. While hackers sometimes turn back, the greed should unfortunately not reduce the winning streak of ransomware enthusiasts, even more so if the victims are insured.
Sources: Official statement of the FFR, The world
2