France has accused the Russian military intelligence agency GRU of orchestrating cyberattacks targeting French government agencies, companies and the Paris Olympic Games.
According to a report published on Tuesday by the French cybersecurity agency (ANSSI), the GRU has used the notorious hacking group APT28, also known as Fancy Bear, to target or compromise dozens of French entities since 2021.
The targets included those in aerospace, finance, national government ministries and local governments, as well as a sports organization linked to the planning of the Paris 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games, ANSSI and France's foreign ministry said.
According to the report, the cyberattacks were aimed at gathering intelligence data, particularly in the context of Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
On Tuesday, French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot said on X that France “observes, blocks and fights its adversaries” and posted a video about the “silent war” waged by Russia against France.
The French Foreign Ministry said that "APT28's cyberattacks on the country date back to 2015, when the TV5 Monde station was taken out of service by a major cyberattack."
Paris also said the hacking group had tried to destabilize the French elections in 2017, when thousands of emails and documents linked to then-candidate and eventual winner Emmanuel Macron were leaked and spread along with disinformation.
The ANSSI report also mentioned unspecified attacks on entities in Ukraine, Europe and North America.
APT28 and the GRU have also been linked to high-profile global cyberattacks, including the 2016 US election, where they were accused of leaking Democratic Party emails.
"These destabilizing activities are unacceptable and unworthy of a permanent member of the UN Security Council. Alongside its partners, France is determined to use all available means to anticipate, discourage and respond to Russia's malicious behavior in cyberspace," the French Foreign Ministry said in a statement.
The Russian Embassy in Paris and the Kremlin have not yet commented on the report's findings.
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