Guadeloupe interrupts access to all IT networks after cyberattack

The French overseas department of Guadeloupe has shut down all computer networks after a “massive cyber attack”.

“As a security measure, all computer networks have been shut down to protect data and diagnostics are ongoing,” the affected region said.

A plan had been drawn up to maintain public services. The region is also cooperating with the police and has notified the French data protection authority CNIL.

It seems likely that this is a ransomware attack, but has not been officially confirmed.

10 million ransom

Several French institutions have been the target of cyber attacks in recent months. In August, for example, hackers paralyzed a hospital near the capital Paris and eventually leaked patient data after the clinic refused to pay the required ransom ($10 million).

There were also hacker attacks on the French port of Caen in the northwest of the country and the departments of Seine-Maritime and Seine-et-Marne.

Guadeloupe is located in the southern Caribbean Sea. The islands are a fully integrated part of the French state and, like the other four French overseas departments, are part of the European Union (EU).

Sources

(dsc/sda/afp)