CyberLille 2023 ?
CyberLille 2023 ?
> After falling victim to a cyberattack, the administration of Lille will have to work without computer for at least three weeks.
> With more and more data being digitized, our administration is becoming a lucrative target for cyberattacks if system security and resilience do not increase with the volume of sensitive data stored
> Volt advocates for a public administration fit for the challenges of the 21st century - on European, national and local level. This should include FLOSS solutions more robust against cyberattacks as well as automated and resilient system architectures who can withstand corruption or destruction
Lille, 5th of March 2023
No Internet in the House of Associations? Door openers no longer working? The Mairies phone lines and email no longer being accessible? Like a dystopian episode of your favorite Sci-Fi streaming show, the Mairie of Lille last week fell victim to a cyberattack and was forced to shut down it's IT systems. In a statement by the Mairie it was announced that city officials would have to work with pen and paper for at three weeks as the situation is being assessed.#
System security is often neglected
Cyberattacks are becoming more and more common as our societies are becoming digitalised and sensitive data is being stored on servers instead of paper. Information systems need to have a robust security policy that needs to evolve with the overall system. Whether daily and real-time system backups or mirrored systems in separate physical locations - the more sensitive data is being stored, the more security has to be a priority to avoid falling victim to cybercriminality. If security does not keep pace, it is not a question of "if" but "when".
Contrary to belief, open source is more secure
Volt advocates for use of FLOSS (free libre open source software) in public administration that can meet the demands of the 21st century - also in terms of cybersecurity. An operating system like Linux based on open source code means that a developer community can review and fix security issues before they happen, while a proprietary system such as Windows are black boxes only accessible by Windows developers. Worse, Windows grants its users much wider system access meaning viruses can quickly corrupt whole systems. After the city of Munich being a pioneer in adopting Linux with their LiMux system in 2003, many municipalities around Europe are today reducing their dependencies on proprietary solutions.
Sven Franck, responsible for Volt Lille: "The Metropole administration is no stranger to using free software for critical infrastructure projets, such as the Metroopole of Lille single sign on system (SSO) provided by Workteks. Maybe this cyberattack should spur our administration to follow cities like Barcelona who dedicate most of their IT budgets to free software and local developers to build the secure public infrastructure our citizens need. France and Europe have a vast ecosystem of technology providers. We just need to use them."
About Volt
As the first truly pan-European party, Volt is committed to reforming the European Union and responding to today's challenges in a coordinated way at European level. Volt's vision: a progressive Europe with an inclusive society, a climate-friendly economy, an adaptable education system and self-determined digitalisation.
Volt is convinced that only the democratic participation of all European citizens will prepare us for a sustainable, economically strong and socially just future. This is why Volt acts at all levels - from local to European, as a movement and as a party. The movement gives everyone a voice and the opportunity to engage politically from within society. Today, Volt is present all over Europe: thousands of people of all ages and professions are involved in 30 European countries with teams in hundreds of cities.
Contact
Sven Franck – responsable for Volt Lille
Mail : sven.franck@volteuropa.org
Zoé Gadeyne – co-responsable Communication
Mail : zoe.gadeyne@volteuropa.org
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Updated March 7th, photo by Benoît Prieur on wikimedia commons, Creative Commons CC0 1.0 Universal Public Domain Dedication