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France is among Ukraine’s most vocal backers, and its government
is working to ensure that an eventual US-brokered peace deal
doesn’t further embolden Russia and threaten Europe’s security.
The French Foreign Ministry said the hacking was linked to the
Russian military intelligence agency GRU, and targeted French
entities including a ″sports organization linked to the planning
of the 2024 Paris Olympic and Paralympic Games.″ It didn’t
identify the organization or detail the impact of the
cyber-meddling.
The cybersecurity agency said other targets included those
involved in aerospace, finance, national government ministries
and local governments. It didn't name them.
More than a dozen reports in 2023 and 2024 pointed to an
intensifying effort from Russia to undermine France through
disinformation campaigns, particularly the Paris Olympics.
Russian athletes' participation in the Olympics has been
curtailed for years because of the Russian invasion of Ukraine
and state-sponsored doping.
The Russian Embassy in France and the Kremlin have denied any
interference in the Paris Olympics.
Responding to the French announcement Monday, Google Threat
Intelligence Group chief analyst John Holquist said in a
statement that "targeting of the Games by the GRU was heavily
anticipated ... Even though the games are a potent symbol of
international cooperation, they are still the target of
malicious intelligence operations.”
APT28 and the GRU have also been linked to global cyber
intrusions, including in the 2016 US election, where they were
accused of aiding Donald Trump by leaking Democratic Party
emails.
The French Foreign Ministry named a specific GRU unit, Unit
20728, as being behind the 2021-2024 cyberattacks. The
cybersecurity agency report also mentions unspecified attacks on
entities in Ukraine, elsewhere in Europe and North America.
“These destabilizing activities are unacceptable and unworthy of
a permanent member of the UN Security Council,” the Foreign
Ministry said in a statement. “Alongside its partners, France is
determined to use all the means at its disposal to anticipate,
discourage and react to Russia’s malicious behavior in
cyberspace.”
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Associated Press writer Kelvin Chan in London contributed to
this report.
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