The town of Floirac, part of Bordeaux Métropole in France, has been severely impacted by a cyberattack that occurred on the evening of April 18, 2024. This attack specifically targeted the town hall’s digital servers, causing a significant disruption of municipal services and forcing the shutdown of the computer network. The cyberattack led to the immediate suspension of all municipal services, affecting around 18,000 residents who rely on these services for daily administrative needs. The town hall staff were compelled to switch to teleworking due to the unavailability of the municipal management applications.
In response to the crisis, the town hall took swift action by alerting the public through social media and calling for emergency interventions from Bordeaux Métropole teams. The severity of the attack was such that the town’s digital security measures were compromised, necessitating a complete halt of all internet access and the use of shared data centers. The only service that remained operational was telephony, allowing some level of communication to continue.
Despite the significant impact, the initial assessments indicated that the information systems were not irreparably damaged and there was no evidence of data being exfiltrated. This was a slight relief amid the disruptions, as it suggested that personal and sensitive data might have remained secure. The town hall remained operational in a degraded mode, focusing on maintaining essential services such as ID card and passport processing, which continued albeit at a reduced capacity.
As the town of Floirac worked to navigate this challenging situation, the town hall provided updates with a hopeful outlook for the restoration of services by the following Monday morning. The incident underlines the vulnerability of local government digital infrastructures to cyberattacks and the critical need for enhanced security measures to protect against such threats. The ongoing investigation will further clarify the specifics of the breach and help in fortifying defenses to prevent future incidents.
