The mandatory transition to electronic invoicing exposes SMEs and mid-sized companies to major cybersecurity risks by increasing the number of complex interconnections with numerous approved platforms.
The mandatory switch to electronic invoicing, introduced by the government, raises serious concerns in terms of cybersecurity. The increase in flows of sensitive data exchanges is accompanied by increased risks of intrusions and leaks. Faced with the proliferation of approved platforms (AP) – essential technological intermediaries -, a question arises: who will be able to advise, prevent and insure companies in the event of a malicious act?
Last perilous stretch for the transformation of SMEs and ETIs
Taxation, compliance, modernity: this is what the challenges of the e-invoicing project are generally associated with. A triple focus that pays little attention to the increased pressure placed on less mature companies. However, the latter, mainly SMEs and ETIs, are often the most vulnerable to malicious acts targeting their systems and their teams.
Forced to accelerate their digital transformation under penalty of sanctions, they must make strategic choices whose consequences they do not always measure. Especially as their systems expand, their attack surface expands, providing a fertile playing field for cybercriminals.
Although these companies turn to application publishers to help them protect their data, none can guarantee zero risk. Business infrastructures now resemble real ecosystems of interconnected heterogeneous software. Each interconnection constitutes a potential vulnerability as we illustrate with the following two examples.
The domino effect of an operating loss
An SME suffers a ransomware attack paralyzing its invoicing software a few days before the end of the month closing.
Prejudice for the company: the inability to issue or validate electronic invoices instantly blocks cash receipts. The company suffers an operating loss, its turnover collapses, but its fixed costs remain.
Supplier harm: incoming invoices can no longer be processed or validated, payments are frozen. This puts the cash flow of the company’s suppliers at risk.
Customer harm: in an automated ecosystem, the absence of invoicing blocks the release of goods (automated delivery slips). End customers experience delays, resulting in contractual penalties for which the hacked company will be responsible.
False supplier fraud 2.0 (flow diversion)
As the electronic format prevents a PDF from being falsified manually, hackers are attacking access to the platforms. Cybercriminals infiltrate via the API connecting the company to its Authorized Platform.
The mechanics of fraud: hackers discreetly modify the bank details (IBAN) associated with a supplier’s profile directly in the database.
The immediate financial impact: the company validates a batch of legitimate electronic invoices, but the funds go to the fraudster’s account. The company loses its cash flow and remains liable for the sum to its real supplier.
Approved platforms: from freedom of choice to the reign of confusion?
A central element of the reform, approved platforms (AP) add a layer of complexity to business ecosystems. They orchestrate data flows between invoice issuers and receivers and serve as a transmission channel for financial reporting to the tax administration. They must analyze and control data to ensure its integrity and legal compliance.
The list of these platforms is so long that it does not fail to confuse CEOs and CIOs: 113 to date on the tax administration website. Choosing the right platform requires in-depth study, which is time-consuming and resource-intensive.
Of course, all meet strict criteria – notably compliance with the ISO/IEC 27001 standard guaranteeing a level of cyber-resilience in line with international best practices. But this certification does not cover all external threats.
Why is this transition a boon for pirates?
The widespread use of electronic invoicing ticks all the boxes to trigger a wave of phishing. It combines three elements that pirates love: urgency, technological novelty and direct access to financial flows.
We can anticipate several formidable scenarios:
The “Rejected Invoice”: the accountant receives an e-mail in the colors of his approved platform indicating: “Alert: Your batch of invoices could not be transmitted to the tax administration. Click here to correct the anomaly within 24 hours”. Under pressure, the victim clicks and enters their credentials on a fake login page.
The fake security update: an email from purported technical support asks the company to “validate the coupling of its ERP software with the new government platform.” The link goes to a “typosquatté” site (e.g. www.plateforme-facturation-gouv.fr instead of the official site).
Theft of the service provider: criminals pose as the publisher of the billing software, claiming that updating bank details or renewing a subscription linked to the reform is mandatory.
Prevention and insurance: new pillars of business resilience
If debates on electronic invoicing often focus on technical compliance, cyber insurance remains an essential link, too often relegated to the background. However, faced with the complexity of the new system, cyber risk is no longer limited to a simple potential threat: it becomes an operational reality requiring an appropriate response.
The added value of cyber insurers therefore lies in their ability to transform risk management into a virtuous cycle of prevention, intervention and repair. Far from simply compensating losses after the fact, the modern insurer acts as a strategic partner via:
Active prevention: continuous analysis of vulnerabilities to identify flaws before they are exploited, allowing SMEs and mid-sized companies to adopt a proactive rather than reactive posture;
Intervention expertise: in the event of an incident, specialized assistance (legal, technical, communication) limiting the operational impact for a rapid resumption of activity;
Targeted compensation: guarantee of economic continuity by covering direct and indirect financial losses, where approved platforms (PA) stop.
It is crucial to understand that the approved platforms, at the center of the new system, do not eliminate the risks of malicious intent. They move them and make them more complex by creating new exchange interfaces. Behind the feeling of security that these officially approved platforms can inspire, lies a real vulnerability to increasingly industrialized cybercriminals.
The challenge for SMEs and ETIs is therefore not only to choose the right platform and tick a regulatory box, but to be part of a complete trusted ecosystem.
In this context, insurers, supported by a network of expert brokers, become essential. They don’t just sell a policy, they infuse a real culture of cyber vigilance. They allow companies to demonstrate their maturity and navigate calmly in this new digital environment, protected from end to end.
