Macron has announced plans to protect public and private organisations against cybercriminals following ransomware attacks at two hospitals in Dax and Villefranche-sur-Saone this year that caused disruption at the facilities. Separately in February, French health insurance company Mutuelle Nationale des Hospitaliers was hit by a ransomware attack, which disrupted the company's healthcare operations.

€500-million funding

Data from the National Cybersecurity Agency of France reported a 255-per-cent increase in ransomware attacks in 2020 compared to 2019. A worrying figure indeed, and so it’s just as well that the French Government has set out €500 million to help boost cyberdefense systems in both the public and private sectors in the country.

A report from security firms Knight Inc and mobile security company Approov also highlights how digital health apps are vulnerable to application programme interfaces (API) attacks, and that organisations should therefore act fast to protect patient data.