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France Accuses Russian Military Intelligence for 2017 Macron Campaign Hack

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Maryna_kulakova
Maryna Kulakova
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France Accuses Russian Military Intelligence for 2017 Macron Campaign Hack
A general view of the TV5Monde headquarters after the French television network was hacked by people claiming to belong to Islamic State on April 9, 2015 in Paris, France. (Source: Getty Images)

For the first time, France has officially recognized the responsibility of Russian military intelligence for cyberattacks against TV5Monde in 2015, which led to the shutdown of the French television channel and the hacking of Emmanuel Macron’s campaign team emails during the 2017 presidential race.

This was stated by France’s Minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs, Jean-Yves Le Drian, in a press release from his department on April 30.

“Russia’s military intelligence (GRU) has been carrying out cyberattacks against France for several years, using the hacker group known as APT28,” he said.

APT28 stands for Advanced Persistent Threat, a hacking group well-known to the United States and European Union countries, which have already imposed sanctions on individuals and organizations linked to it.

Since 2021, APT28 has targeted approximately ten French institutions, both public and private, including organizations involved in preparations for the 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games, according to the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs. This same group was responsible for the 2015 cyberattack on TV5Monde and attempted interference in France’s 2017 elections.

Moreover, APT28 has been involved in ongoing cyberattacks against Ukraine’s infrastructure and other European countries.

The French Ministry emphasized that such cyberattacks are unacceptable, particularly from a permanent member of the UN Security Council. These actions violate international norms, which Russia itself has officially supported.

The Russian hacker group APT28 has been operating worldwide since at least 2004.

Previously, Bybit, one of the largest cryptocurrency exchanges based in Singapore, reported a hack on X involving one of its Ethereum wallets on February 21. Cryptocurrency investigator ZachXBT linked the attack to North Korea’s Lazarus Group, a hacking organization with a history of high-profile breaches.

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