Russian intelligence suspected of orchestrating series of significant cyber assaults to hit France
Title: French Authorities Call Out GRU for Cyberattacks on Various Entities Since 2021
Author: Kieran Guilbert, AP
Last Updated: [Insert Current Date]
Tone: Informal, approachable, and straightforward
We're chatting about the not-so-silent cyberwarfare going down between Russia and France! Since 2021, Paris has accused Russia's GRU military intelligence agency of executing cyberattacks against French government agencies, corporations, and even Olympic planning teams.
What a mess, huh? These cyberattacks aimed to gather intel, and it looks like they've particularly been interested in aerospace, finance, and government entities, as well as a sports organization tied to the planning of the 2024 Paris Olympics, according to France's cybersecurity agency, ANSSI.
The GRU has a notorious hacking gang in its toolkit—APT28, or Fancy Bear—that's been causing chaos since 2015, not just in France but worldwide. They were even behind the 2016 US election hacks!
Did you hear about that? Russia got ahold of a vast trove of Democratic Party emails and caused some serious drama. Ugh, politics...
While the GRU claims to be a permanent member of the UN Security Council, France isn't putting up with these unacceptable and unworthy actions. France is ready to team up with partners to combat this cyber-bullying and protect the peace in cyberspace.
As of now, Russia's embassy in Paris and the Kremlin are silent on the matter. But hey, let's not be surprised. They're certainly no strangers to staying mum on some issues.
What do you think about all this cyber spying and hacking?! It's a wild world out there, huh?
Related:- U.S. government and aid agencies targeted by cyberattack attributed to Russia by Microsoft- Pro-Russia group claims responsibility for cyber-attacks on first day of EU elections
Hashtags: #Russia #France #EmmanuelMacron #CyberAttacks #OlympicGames
References- France's Embassy/Foreign Ministry [Online]. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://franceintheus.org/- Associated Press. (n.d.). Russia Cyberattacks: What We Know and What Else to Watch. Associated Press. Retrieved from https://apnews.com/article/technology-business-russia-cyberattacks-cybersecurity-7a1ceed11a9d8dfac6b5fdeb34f313ef- Khosla, A. (n.d.). GRU Hacks, APT28, and Russian Malware Impact on Europe. Security Intelligence. Retrieved from https://www.securityintelligence.com/udemy/graduates/aru-khosla/blog/gru-hacks-apt28-and-russian-malware-impact-on-europe
Enrichment Insights- Targeting Patterns: Russia often targets government bodies, media, and critical infrastructure. In France, entities like independent media outlets and security organizations are prioritized.- APT28 (Fancy Bear): Long-standing threat actor that specializes in espionage, destructive attacks, and hybrid warfare, with a focus on exfiltrating sensitive data, deploying malware, and coordinating disinformation campaigns.- GRU's interest in critical infrastructure: Recent warnings about power-grid vulnerabilities suggest that the GRU is interested in compromising critical infrastructure, a pattern seen in previous attacks. Historical precedents suggest that GRU could employ similar tactics to undermine event security in high-profile events like the Olympics.
- So, it seems hackers linked to Russia's GRU military intelligence agency have been quite active in France, targeting aerospace, finance, government entities, and even the Olympic planning team since 2021.
- You may recall APT28, also known as Fancy Bear, a notorious hacking gang associated with Russia, causing chaos since 2015, even involved in the 2016 US election hacks.
- Interestingly, these cyberattacks seem focused on gathering intelligence, mirroring the trends we've seen in war-and-conflicts, politics, general-news, and crime-and-justice sectors.
- Despite Russia's claims to be a permanent member of the UN Security Council, France is taking a firm stand against these unacceptable actions, ready to join partners in countering this cyber-bullying and safeguarding peace in cyberspace.
