French Foreign Ministry accused Russian GRU of cyberattacks, in particular during elections and Olympics
The French Ministry of Foreign Affairs has accused the Russian GRU of cyberattacks on public and private companies with the help of the APT28 hacker group, also known as Fancy Bear.
This was reported by Censor.NET with reference to the press service of the Ministry.
The ministry emphasized that the country will use "all available means" to counter Russia's criminal activities in cyberspace.
"France strongly condemns the use by the Russian military intelligence (GRU) of the APT28 group, which has been behind several cyberattacks against French interests," the statement said.
According to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, since 2021, APT28 has attacked about ten French organizations, including public services, private companies, and a sports organization associated with the organization of the 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games.
This group was previously used by the GRU in an attack on the French TV channel TV5Monde in 2015, as well as in an attempt to destabilize the electoral process in France in 2017.
France's diplomatic agency emphasized that APT28 is also used to "exert constant pressure on Ukrainian infrastructure in the context of Russia's war against Ukraine" and to attack other European partners of France.
"Such destabilizing activities are unacceptable and unworthy of a permanent member of the United Nations Security Council. It also contradicts the UN standards on responsible behavior of states in cyberspace, to which Russia has acceded," the ministry emphasized.
