The town hall of Fleury-les-Aubrais is facing a significant crisis following a debilitating cyberattack that began on Monday. This attack has effectively crippled all city services by locking down computers and servers essential for daily operations. The severity of the incident has disrupted critical functions such as civil status updates, urban planning processes, and even preparations for upcoming legislative elections. The impact is widespread, with services like email communications and administrative tasks severely hampered or rendered completely inactive.
The ordeal began with anomalies in email services early Monday morning, followed by the discovery of a suspicious file later in the day. Hackers, whose demands included a ransom payable in installments, left a message indicating their responsibility for the breach. This forced the town hall to disconnect all systems for safety, exacerbating the operational paralysis and forcing reliance on manual, paper-based processes to maintain minimal functionality.
Amidst the chaos, the town’s efforts to recover are underway in collaboration with regional cybersecurity experts. The focus is on restoring access to crucial data and systems to resume normal operations swiftly. Despite the setback, officials remain determined to mitigate the impact on public services and ensure that essential tasks, including election preparations, proceed as planned, albeit with considerable challenges. The incident underscores the vulnerability of public institutions to cyber threats and highlights the critical need for robust cybersecurity measures in safeguarding civic infrastructure.
