On the day of the entry into the war in Ukraine, many specialists expected that Russia would launch a large-scale computer attack. Whether this globalized hybrid conflict has not taken place for the moment, the conflict in the cyber space is nevertheless very real with an upsurge in attacks against European critical infrastructures. A conflict that is also spreading in the field of misinformation by contaminating all social networks.
Are we witnessing the first cyberwar in Europe? This is the question on which 300 European decision-makers and political representatives of 15 nationalities, including the Ukrainian Deputy Prime Minister in charge of Digitalduring the Paris Cyber Summit May 11 and 12. Cyberdefense Europe is getting into battle order, explains Sébastien Garnault, organizer of the Paris Cyber Summit:
” In the cyber space linked to the conflict, we see that two fronts have opened up. One, described as technological, allows sabotage actions to damage the enemy’s material capacities. Another front has appeared, that of online information with this raging battle for influence on social networks, the objective of which is to win the war of opinion among the populations. This cyber-conflict is not limited to the territory of Ukraine and concerns all of Europe.
But the EU countries are faced with the same difficulties, in particular those of the competence of the personnel in charge of cybersecurity, they also face problems of education of their population concerning the importance of the protection of personal data such as those companies or are having difficulty implementing a digital transformation in their country. This is why we invited most of the European digital decision-makers to the Paris Cyber Summit to find solutions together.
The war in Ukraine gave us a dramatic example of what could happen if we fail to unite our efforts. We see with this conflict that, yes! We must form a common front, because yes, the Europeans are facing common threats. But on the other hand, we are not totally ready, at European level, to embark on an open conflict in cyberspace. A hybrid war for which each country should normally contribute its part. »
Within this Cyber Defense Europe, France will have the advantage of already possessing its own devices capable of warding off computer threats that would be directed against its state infrastructures. Since 2018, the military have at their disposal attack systems in the cyber space to carry out, for example, reprisals directly in the country of a possible aggressor. The French forces are made up of more than 3,600 cyber-combatants and France plans to recruit 1,000 additional specialists and increase their number to 5,000 by 2025. Its weak link, as in other European countries, is However, at the level of civil society with private companies, hospitals or even local communities that are subject to daily attacks by computer hackers.
► Read also: France inaugurates its “Cyber Campus” to fight against cybercrime
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