French telecoms operator La Poste Mobile hit by a ransomware attack

French telecoms operator La Poste Mobile, a virtual network operator with two million customers in France and revenues of over $500m in 2021, has alerted its customers that a ransomware attack that targeted the organization’s management and administrative systems on July 4 may have compromised their data.

The LockBit ransomware group, which was first discovered in 2019 and has since grown to be one of the most prolific providers of ransomware-as-a-service, is thought to have carried out the attack.

The company immediately took its systems offline in an attempt to minimize damage. Even after seven days, the company’s website is still down, and visitors are greeted by a French message warning them to be on the lookout for targeted cyberattacks.

The servers, which are crucial to the operation of your mobile line, have been well protected, according to the company statement. Still, the files on the computers of La Poste Mobile employees have been impacted. Some of these files might include personal information. The company apologized for the inconvenience caused and further said that its IT teams are currently diagnosing the situation.

La Poste Mobile has asked customers to watch out for phishing attempts or other suspicious activity related to any personal information the attackers may have accessed while its mobile services are still available. La Poste Mobile encourages its users to exercise caution, especially by keeping an eye out for any attempts at phishing and/or identity theft. Naturally, it will keep them up to date on the findings of the ongoing investigations.

It’s noteworthy that the LockBit ransomware group sells its software to independent criminals who use it in exchange for a cut of the proceeds. According to a recent cybersecurity firm NCC Group report, LockBit was responsible for about 40% of the ransomware attacks it observed in May 2022.