French government and business unprepared for cybercrime warns high-level report

According to the publication by strategic think tank Centre d’Analyse Stratégique, most large French companies will have been targeted by cyber attacks but do not report the incidents either because they are not willing to do so or only spot the attacks several years after the event.

It also warned that the American and Asian companies’ stronghold on the smartphone and tablet markets could be a threat for Europe. Furthermore, it argued that because of the huge rewards for cyber criminals, compounded by the slim chance of being caught and punished, the threat of cybercrime will continue to rise.

“As they face such threats, companies, public bodies and individuals are either unprotected or little aware of the risks to which they are exposed, and of their economic and financial consequences,” the report warned.

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If anyone remains sceptical about the risks involved, the agency explained the case of Nortel, the once mighty telecommunications equipment firm, which was a target of cyber-spying for around a decade before going bust in 2009.

The document points out that over that period the cyber criminals enjoyed unfettered access to the company’s technical, financial and other key data.

The strategic think tank also warned about the risks of cloud computing and Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) policies, which allow employees to connect their own smartphones and tablets to company systems. It stressed that this is a particular threat for French and European interests.

“The predominance of an offer from American and Asia of mobile terminals (Samsung, Apple, Sony, HTC, RIM, Huawei, ZTE to name a few) constitutes a risk for France and the European countries that cannot guarantee their technical integrity,” the report said.

It also recommended investments to develop anti-virus systems that are fully adapted to the needs of French and European companies.

The report stressed that the French government has taken a number of initiatives to try and mitigate cyber risks. Despite this its Economy and Finances Ministry was the target of a major cyber attack in 2010, affecting 170,000 terminals.

Critics have expressed doubts about the full extent of resources being deployed by the French authorities. After the release of the report, the weekly Journal du Dimanche noted that Anssi, the agency created in 2009 to deal with cyber risks, still has a budget of only €75m, and a mere 300 employees.

Among large companies awareness of cybercrime is on the rise, the report said, but added that there is much to be done. The report concluded that organisations must adopt a ‘rational and objective’ risk management policy to deal with cyber risks.