On September 9, 2024, rumors began to circulate that the Bayard group, a French media company, was facing a cyberattack. This was confirmed the following day when Bayard issued a press release acknowledging a ransomware attack that had begun on September 8. The attack affected part of the company’s information systems, leading to disruptions in their operations, including the publication of several of their titles, most notably La Croix. The company stated that their technical teams, working in collaboration with cybersecurity experts, were actively addressing the situation to restore systems and secure the company’s operations.
The first indication of the cyberattack was the disruption of Bayard’s websites, including those for Bayard, Bayard Jeunesse, and Milan. Prior to the attack being confirmed, these websites went down and displayed a maintenance page, signaling that the web servers responsible for their content were no longer functioning properly. This provided early clues that the company’s systems had been compromised. The group quickly moved to take the necessary steps to mitigate the damage and begin the recovery process, though the full scope of the attack remained unclear.
In response to inquiries about the specifics of the ransomware, Bayard’s press service explained that they could not confirm the specific ransomware family or franchise involved in the attack. However, they suggested that the attack appeared to be opportunistic in nature, which raised questions about the potential theft of sensitive data before the encryption process occurred. While Bayard did not fully confirm whether data was stolen, the wording of their statement led some to believe that data theft prior to encryption was a likely scenario. The company continues to investigate the breach and determine the full extent of the damage.
Despite the ongoing recovery efforts, Bayard assured the public that they were working diligently to restore normal operations. The technical teams are focusing on securing their systems and ensuring that the company’s activities resume without further disruption. As of the last update, the company had not yet been able to confirm the complete impact of the breach, particularly in terms of data loss. Bayard emphasized that they would continue to provide updates and keep their stakeholders informed throughout the recovery process.
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