The French Foreign Ministry officially accused Russia of responsibility for a series of cyberattacks against the country, including the breach of Emmanuel Macron’s presidential campaign in 2017.
“In the past, this group was also used by GRU in the sabotage of the TV5Monde broadcasting station in 2015, as well as in attempts to destabilize the French elections in 2017,” the French Foreign Ministry said in a statement.
According to French authorities, the attacks were carried out by Russian military intelligence, specifically a group known as APT28 or Fancy Bear.
The ministry revealed that since 2021, Russian hackers have compromised about ten French institutions, including government services, private enterprises, and a sports organization involved in organizing the 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games.
“These destabilizing activities are not acceptable or worthy of a permanent member of the United Nations Security Council,” the statement said.
The accusations mark a shift from earlier positions. In 2017, France’s National Computer Security Agency reported that it found no evidence of Russian hackers interfering in Macron’s campaign.
Macron’s campaign headquarters suffered a massive hacker attack in 2017. Tens of thousands of emails and documents were leaked online just hours before the official campaign ended.
The foreign ministry reported that the APT28 unit has repeatedly attacked Ukraine, particularly in the context of the full-scale aggression after 2022.
French authorities said that the attacks against French ministries, defense companies, and think tanks have escalated notably since 2021.
The French National Cybersecurity Agency reported that about 4,000 cyberattacks were attributed to Russian actors in 2024, representing a 15% increase from 2023.
The latest APT28 attack occurred in December, the agency said.
“Alongside its partners, France is determined to use all the means at its disposal to anticipate Russia’s malicious behaviour in cyberspace, discourage it and respond to it where necessary,” the ministry said.
The French government decided reportedly to make this information public to keep citizens informed during a period of political uncertainty and ongoing Russian aggression in Ukraine.
NATO previously stated its readiness to respond decisively to Russian cyberattacks.
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