Digital

The 2023 toll of cyber attacks on companies

Publié le 27 mars 2024 - Directorate for Legal and Administrative Information (Prime Minister)

In its annual activity report, the Cybermalicious.gouv.fr who assists victims of malicious cyber activities identified the threats companies faced most in 2023.

Image 1
Image 1Crédits: Kampan - stock.adobe.com

What are the main cyber-attacks targeting companies?

During 2023, the main cyber-attack for which companies requested assistance on Cybermalicious.gouv.fr was the account hacking (23.5% of attacks). Phishing (21.2%) and ransomware (16.6%) follow.

As a reminder, phishing is the creation of a sense of urgency or interest in the victim to encourage them to perform an action in which they will communicate their personal or confidential data.

Ransomware refers to attacks in which the victim's device is blocked and the malware will demand a sum of money in exchange for unblocking the device. This type of attack affects companies more than individuals because of their greater creditworthiness.

What cyber attacks increased in 2023?

During 2023, the main threats that increased over one year were:

  • false transfer orders (+63%);
  • the disfigurement of the website (+61%), these are cases in which the website of the victim is damaged by a hacker;
  • denial of service (+41%), this attack makes the server used by the company inaccessible by exploiting a security breach or overloading the operation of the service.

How do I respond to a cyber attack?

If your company is the target of a cyber attack, you need to take several precautions to keep yourself safe:

  • ask for a online custom diagnostics on Cybermalicious.gouv.fr ;
  • Back up all your company data and software settled on your information system.
  • in case of ransomware, never pay the requested ransom;
  • in the event of a personal data breach, you must notify the CNIL.
  • file a complaint.

Additional topics