City of Lille disrupted by cyberattack; investigation ongoing

The city of Lille was disrupted by a cyberattack that partially disrupted the operation of public services.

The attack, which occurred on Tuesday around 11:40 PM, paralyzed some city services on Wednesday, and officials say they have taken steps to prevent further intrusions into its information systems.

While the origin of the cyberattack has not been determined yet, officials said some software managed by the municipality was temporarily inaccessible, including the “Espace Familie” portal and telephone lines.  Computer systems were shut down and the staff was asked not to turn any computer systems back on.

Despite the attack “all public services were maintained” and public sports and leisure facilities remain open, the city of Lille said. On Thursday, city officials said telephone lines have been restored. Public libraries are still open, but readers can’t take out any books until further notice.

“At this time, the technical diagnosis is still in progress to determine the origin and severity of the intrusion,” a public announcement reads. “All public services are maintained, at the Town Hall, in the district town halls and all of our equipment with the appropriate operation. According to the information we have at this stage, no difficulties have been found with the data stored on the system and servers.”

Lille town hall officials have filed a complaint and are working with the Lille judicial police cybercrime brigade to establish the origin, extent and those responsible for the attack.