France on Tuesday accused Russian military intelligence of a series of cyberattacks over the past decade, including on an organization involved in the 2024 Paris Olympics and on Emmanuel Macron's first presidential campaign in 2017.
Since 2021, a branch of Russian military intelligence (GRU) specializing in such attacks has also targeted dozens of French entities, including “the defense, finance and economic sectors,” the French Foreign Ministry said.
"France condemns in the strongest possible terms the use by the Russian military intelligence service (GRU) of the APT28 attack group, responsible for several cyberattacks against French interests," the Foreign Ministry statement said.
The GRU "has been carrying out cyberattacks against France for years using a method known as APT28," French digital transformation minister Jean-Noel Barrot said in a message on X, officially attributing these attacks to the GRU for the first time.
APT28, also known as Fancy Bear, has been implicated in dozens of global cyberattacks, including the 2016 US election, where it was accused of helping Donald Trump through the leak of Democratic Party and Hillary Clinton campaign emails.
The group targets personal email accounts to obtain data and messages or to gain access to other devices in a system.
In 2017, hackers hit Macron's first presidential campaign, leaking thousands of documents just 24 hours before the vote.
"During the presidential elections, APT28 participated in a massive hacking operation" with the aim of "sowing suspicion and influencing public opinion," the French Foreign Ministry said in a video shared by Barrot on X.
"Thousands of documents were stolen and distributed in the hope of manipulating voters, but the maneuver failed to significantly impact the electoral process," the video continued, referring to the data leak in 2017.
Macron easily won the second round of the election against far-right candidate Marine Le Pen. French officials have also previously warned of the risk of interference in elections scheduled for 2027, when Macron cannot run again due to term limits, and the far-right is expected to be a strong contender.
The video added that entities in France attacked since 2021 include those "that affect the daily lives of French people and include public services, private enterprises as well as a sports organization involved in the 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games."
According to the Foreign Ministry, the media is one of the favorite targets of hackers.
In 2015, APT28 – posing as Islamic State militants – hacked the French-language television channel TV5 Monde “to manipulate public opinion” and “create panic in France,” the statement said.
France has been a frequent target of terrorist attacks over the past decade, most notably in 2015 when the Bataclan concert hall and the national stadium were attacked.
But France is not the only target of APT28, as several international intelligence services, including German authorities, warned in September 2024 of Fancy Bear attacks on NATO member countries.
The group is "targeting our partners," the Foreign Ministry video says, adding that Ukraine has been one of the group's "priorities" since Russia launched the invasion in February 2022.
"APT28 is also being used to exert continued pressure on Ukrainian infrastructure in the context of Russia's aggressive war against Ukraine," the Foreign Ministry said.
And Poland, a strong ally of Kiev, has warned in recent months that Moscow could try to interfere in the presidential election scheduled for May 18 through cyberattacks and disinformation.
France and Poland will sign a "friendship treaty" on May 9, coinciding with a grand parade in Moscow led by Russian President Vladimir Putin, the same day Russia marks victory in World War II.
“Together with its partners, France is determined to use all available means to prevent Russia's malicious behavior in cyberspace, to deter it and to respond when necessary,” the Foreign Ministry said. REL (A2 Televizion)
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