MMA, part of the Covéa Group, hit by a cyberattack
During the night of Thursday, July 16, to Friday, July 17, 2020, theCovéa Groupwas the victim of a cyberattack targeting MMA. Paralyzed by this malicious act, the headquarters of the MMA insurance company (located in Le Mans) and its branches in the Sarthe department were forced to close their doors.
MMA took preventive measures by shutting down its IT systems “as a precautionary measure.” As a result, its website remained inaccessible for more than ten days. Communication was limited to telephone calls. Operations returned to normal gradually.
Nevertheless, MMA assures that no data was leaked during this cyberattack. The Covéa Group reports that the issue has been “identified and is being addressed.” It has also filed a complaint.
It will take them several days, however, to make up for lost time.
We are far from being done with cyberattacks. Phishing attacks, spear phishing, USB drives, malware, ransomware… Hackers are never short on resources. The lure of profit is usually their main motivation. Data is one of the web’s most valuable assets and finds buyers easily! Every week, at least one organization, regardless of its sector or size, is hit by a tragedy of this kind. Examples of recent cyberattacks include:
- EasyJet, some of whose data was leaked following a phishing cyberattack.
- Honda hit by ransomware.
- The Eure-et-Loir Departmental Council has been paralyzed by a major cyberattack.
- Twitter was the victim of a social engineering cyberattack.
Cyberattack: Are There Any Sectors Left That Are Reliable and Secure?
For both insurers and banks, it is important to recognize the importance of protecting themselves against cyberattacks and training their employees in cybersecurity. Indeed, the impact is all the more significant given that these sectors handle large amounts of sensitive and confidential data. Cybersecurity is crucial to maintaining customer trust.
Consequences of a cyberattack: damage to reputation and loss of trust
According to a study conducted among 2,000 consumers in North America, the United Kingdom, France, and Germany by Arcserve, a provider of data protection solutions:
“45% of customers are willing to switch insurers in the event of a cyberattack.” And the same goes for banks. So what will be the consequences of the cyberattack on MMA’s reputation? Only time will tell…
“70% of customers believe that companies are not doing enough to properly secure their data.” (source: argusdel’assurance.com).
