Recently, hackers have shifted their attention to the government sector, with France’s government websites falling victim to sophisticated yet low-intensity cyber-attacks.
A source from the office of France’s Prime Minister Gabriel Attal has suggested that these attacks on government servers could potentially be the work of a state-sponsored actor. However, further details are expected to be released following a thorough investigation.
After the news spread via France’s news agency AFP on various social media platforms, speculation arose with a trending hashtag hinting at Russian involvement. Yet, at present, there’s no concrete evidence implicating Russian intelligence in the attacks.
Curiously, these website disruptions occurred just a month after Defense Minister Sebastian Lecornu acknowledged the reality of cyber threats originating from Moscow. Despite precautionary measures, the attackers successfully caused significant disruptions to the websites.
Cybersecurity Insiders has learned that the disruption was caused by a Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS) attack, with Anonymous Sudan claiming responsibility for the assault on the French government’s network infrastructure via Telegram. This group has a track record of targeting both public and private entities in countries like Sweden, Denmark, the United States, and Australia, primarily focusing on governments with anti-Muslim policies in the Western world.
Social media speculation also suggests potential links between this group and other pro-Russian entities such as Killnet and the REVIL ransomware group. These groups allegedly oppose countries supporting Ukraine in the conflict with the Kremlin.
