About 40 French museums subjected to cyberattack, hackers demand ransom

PARIS: About 40 museums in France, including the Grand Palais and the Louvre, have been subjected to a cyberattack with a ransom demand, reported Sputnik, citing a report by the French daily Ouest France.

In the cyberattack, which occurred on the night from Saturday to Sunday, cybercriminals targeted a system that "centralises financial data" of organisations, the publication reported, citing a source in the police.

During some of these attacks, the criminals demanded a ransom, threatening to release the financial information they had received. The payment was required to be made in cryptocurrency.

As the publication noted, part of the Olympic competitions is taking place in the Grand Palais museum.

An investigation has been launched into the case, entrusted to the Cybercrime Brigade, for "an attack on an automated data processing system, extortion by an organised gang and a criminal community, with the aim of committing a crime or misdemeanor punishable by five years of imprisonment".

Earlier, French Prime Minister Gabriel Attal reported that over the last 10 days of July, the French authorities had thwarted 68 cyberattacks aimed at the organisation of the Olympics or Olympic facilities.

According to the minister, all attacks were detected and prevented timely.

-- BERNAMA