Russia's entry into the war against Ukraine has led to an increase in cyber attacks, and more particularly in disinformation actions. Western companies are in the crosshairs of some hackers, threatening their activities.
The conflict between Russia and Ukraine is accompanied by cyber attacks. And French companies in particular are in the line of fire. According to a study conducted by the French start-up Anozr Way, the main current threat lies in disinformation actions by hackers. In its study, the company specializing in data analysis and protection of people from cyber risks highlights the case of employees of a French company falsely accused of working for the Ukrainian defense. In reality, hackers used personal data of the French company, which had previously been stolen and disseminated on the dark web, to make a montage associating its employees with a Ukrainian state aeronautical company.
"This company was thrown into the mix to create doubt about France's involvement in this conflict. Beyond the political motivation, the risk for the company is to be the target of other pro-Russian hackers who might want to take revenge," analyzes Philippe Luc, co-founder and CEO of Anozr Way. Similarly, the websites of some large French groups that have maintained their activities in Russia such as Auchan, Leroy Merlin and Decathlon have recently been hacked, this time by pro-Ukrainian hackers. "We also observe attacks created from scratch. Some hacker groups claim new offensives against French companies when in fact they are old attacks. The objective is to motivate and generate reactions from other hackers, with the aim of impacting these companies," explains Philippe Luc.
How to protect yourself?
In this context, data protection becomes a key issue for companies. Antivirus, employee awareness, backups... Data protection tools are varied. But this is not always enough. "The vast majority of companies affected by cyberattacks had put in place a process to protect their data. Hackers manage to bypass it," says Philippe Luc. To protect himself and react quickly in case of computer attack, the CEO of the start-up insists on the importance of monitoring his digital footprint. "The company must be able to control what can be seen of it and its employees on the Internet," he says. This can include phone numbers, health card numbers, passwords, photographs, etc.
In this context, Anozr Way has developed a software that allows to control and protect the digital footprint of the company and its employees. "The fact of being aware of the data circulating on the web allows to correct them and/or to be very vigilant and to be able to react quickly", says Philippe Luc. The startup also helps companies that have already suffered an attack. "During an attack, sensitive data is usually published several months later on the dark web. Our software will monitor and detect the data as soon as it is released. This allows companies to quickly develop an appropriate communication plan and possibly warn their customers and suppliers if certain data concerns them," explains Philippe Luc. In this tumultuous context, anticipation seems to be the best weapon to face cyber risks.
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