The country’s instability makes the Internet network more vulnerable

The cyberattack that targeted the internet service provider Lagoon on the night of August 17-18 raises many questions about the management of cybersecurity in the country. Has the threat that cybercriminals pose to the country increased in recent months? What strategies can institutions and companies implement to prevent these risks?

Customers still without internet connection, 230 hosting servers inaccessible. Five days after the detection of the cyberattack that targeted the internet service provider Lagoon, the company is still working to restore its services as quickly as possible. Many Internet customers have nevertheless regained their access.

“There is still an ongoing investigation that requires very detailed work. That’s why it takes time, but overall, we need to stop this vulnerability.“, comments Stéphane Matéo, CEO of FAI Lagoon.

Although an abnormal volume of suspicious traffic has been observed in the territory in recent months, it is currently difficult to confirm a trend using the tools dedicated to network monitoring.

The only certainty for Laurent Rivaton, president of the cybersecurity commission of the Open NC cluster, is that the unrest that has been shaking the country since May makes it more vulnerable to cyberattacks. “As we are in a particular situation of imbalance, we become interesting prey for cybercriminals. To be used as an instrument of destabilization when there are tensions between countries” he explains.

Whether in a crisis period or not, awareness of the risks associated with cybercrime is gaining ground among institutions and companies. Indeed, each year more and more of them are increasing their budget devoted to the security of their IT infrastructures. This is the case of the airline Air Calédonie, itself the victim of a cyberattack two years ago.

“We have increased the cyber budget (…) We have also strengthened the technical environment“, says François Xavier Trolliard, Head of the Information Systems Department at AirCalédonie.”And we put people at the heart of the system, for example, we introduced staff to training sessions on cybersecurity.”

While certain sectors of activity deemed sensitive are subject to strict cybersecurity regulations, for the majority of companies in the territory, there are currently no mandatory provisions, but vigilance remains essential.

A report by Marion Thellier and David Sigal

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