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The French government accused a group of piracy associated with Russian military intelligence for electronic attacks over three years, targeting the Paris Olympics and French agencies and companies.
A report on the Cyber ​​Security Agency in France, ANSSI, identified electronic accidents from 2021 to 2024, which they attributed to a group called APT28, also known as France Bear. The report said that piracy aims to collect intelligence information, especially in the context of the Russian war in Ukraine.
France is among the most supporters in Ukraine, and its government has worked to ensure that the peace agreement that has been circulated in the United States ultimately does not encourage Russia and threatens Europe’s security.
The French Foreign Ministry said that the piracy was linked to the Russian Military Intelligence Agency GRU, and targeted the French entities, including “a sports organization linked to the planning of the Olympic Games and the Disabled in Paris 2024.
The Cyber ​​Security Agency said that other goals included those involved in space and finance, ministries of national government and local governments. He did not call them.
More than ten reports in 2023 and 2024 indicated an intense effort from Russia to undermine France through disinformation campaigns, especially the Paris Olympics. The participation of Russian athletes in the Olympic Games has been reduced for years due to the Russian invasion of Ukraine and the country’s sponsored doping.
The Russian embassy in France and the Kremlin denied any intervention in the Paris Olympics.
In response to the French announcement on Monday, the chief analyst of the Google Threat Intelligence John Holquist in a statement said that “targeting games by GRU was very expected … although games are a strong symbol of international cooperation, they are still a target of malicious intelligence.”
APT28 and GRU have also been linked to global electronic sympmalities, including in the 2016 US elections, accused of the help of Donald Trump by leaking emails of the Democratic Party.
The French Foreign Ministry appointed a specific GRU unit, unit 20728, as it is behind the electronic attacks 2021-2024. The cybersecurity report also mentions the unlimited attacks on entities in Ukraine, and elsewhere in Europe and North America.
“These destabilization activities are unacceptable and do not deserve a permanent member of the United Nations Security Council,” the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a statement. “Besides its partners, France determines the use of all available means to expect, install it and its response to Russia’s harmful behavior in the cyber space.”
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The Associated Press Kelvin Chan, in London, contributed to this report.