It is a threat taken very seriously by all government services, but also by all educational establishments, and which occurs after the assassination of Samuel Paty and the attack in Arras in Pas-de-Calais in October 2023: between Wednesday March 20 and Thursday March 21, 2024, many schools in Île-de-France and Brittany were victims of a violent cyberattack. It is more precisely “via the ENT, the school’s internal mailbox or the Pronote website” that the hacking was initiated, and that the threats of attack, or even the sending of the beheading video, were carried out, as explained by the Ministry of Education. Around twenty establishments in Île-de-France would be affected. “Psychological support for all children or adults who have watched the shocking videos against their will” should also be put in place, it was specified. Following these actions, security, which was already very present around the establishments due to the attack alert, was reinforced. An investigation was also opened by the Paris prosecutor’s office after the two complaints received on this subject. One of them came from the Île-de-France region, among the most affected by this attack.
Fifty establishments affected just in Île-de-France
According to the latest information received by AFP, this cyberattack would have affected around fifty establishments in Île-de-France alone. The Creil academy (which brings together Seine-et-Marne, Seine-Saint-Denis and Val-de-Marne), the Paris academy, as well as 20 establishments of the Versailles academy (which brings together the Val-d’Oise, Yvelines, Essonne and Hauts-de-Seine) were thus affected. And after West France “three establishments belonging to the same school group in Saint-Malo (Ille-et-Vilaine) also received these emails”. The institution also has “complained”. ”The Saint-Malo police station has been informed and will be in contact with national investigators. For safety, we had the premises checked at the three teaching sites. We found nothing”wrote the directors, whose comments were relayed by the local media.
This Thursday, March 21, 2024 at the end of the day, while many educational establishments targeted by threats of attacks were evacuated as a precaution, Prime Minister Gabriel Attal announced the holding of a meeting on April 4 with a view to strengthen the security of “150 to 200” establishments deemed “more particularly at risk”.