France says hackers targeted Olympics

Paris: The French government has accused a hacking group linked to Russian military intelligence of cyberattacks over three years, targeting the Paris Olympics, French government agencies and companies.

A report released on Tuesday by France’s cybersecurity agency, ANSSI, outlined cyberincidents from 2021 through last year that it attributed to a group called APT28, also known as Fancy Bear.

The hacking aimed to collect intelligence, notably in the context of Russia’s war in Ukraine, the report said.

The moon rises behind the Olympic rings displayed on the Eiffel Tower in Paris on July 22 last year.

France is among Ukraine’s most vocal backers and Paris is working to ensure that a potential peace deal does not further embolden Russia and threaten Europe’s security.

The French Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs said that the hacking was linked to the Russian military intelligence agency GRU and targeted French entities including a “sports organization linked to the planning of the 2024 Paris Olympic and Paralympic Games.“

It did not identify the planning organization or detail the impact of the cybermeddling.

The ANSSI said that other targets included those involved in aerospace, finance, national government ministries and local governments. It did not name them.

More than a dozen reports in 2023 and last year pointed to an intensifying effort from Russia to undermine France through disinformation campaigns, particularly the Paris Olympics.

Russian athletes’ participation in the Olympics has been curtailed for years because of the Russian invasion of Ukraine and state-sponsored doping.

The Russian embassy in France and the Kremlin have denied any interference in the Paris Olympics.

Google Threat Intelligence Group chief analyst John Holquist said in a statement on Monday that “targeting of the Games by the GRU was heavily anticipated… Even though the Games are a potent symbol of international cooperation, they are still the target of malicious intelligence operations.”

The ministry named a specific GRU unit, Unit 20728, as being behind the cyberattacks from 2021 to last year.

The cybersecurity agency report also mentioned unspecified attacks on entities in Ukraine, elsewhere in Europe and in North America.

“These destabilizing activities are unacceptable and unworthy of a permanent member of the UN Security Council,” the ministry said in a statement. “Alongside its partners, France is determined to use all the means at its disposal to anticipate, discourage and react to Russia’s malicious behavior in cyberspace.”