France accuses a Russia-linked hacking group of targeting the Paris Olympics and French agencies

PARIS (AP) — The French authorities accused a hacking radical linked to Russian subject quality of cyberattacks implicit 3 years, targeting the Paris Olympics, French authorities agencies and companies.

A study released Tuesday by France’s cybersecurity agency, ANSSI, outlined cyber incidents from 2021 done 2024, which it attributes to a radical called APT28, besides known arsenic Fancy Bear. The study said the hacking aimed to cod intelligence, notably successful the discourse of Russia’s warfare successful Ukraine.

France is among Ukraine’s astir vocal backers, and its authorities is moving to guarantee that an eventual US-brokered bid woody doesn’t further embolden Russia and endanger Europe’s security.

The French Foreign Ministry said the hacking was linked to the Russian subject quality bureau GRU, and targeted French entities including a ″sports enactment linked to the readying of the 2024 Paris Olympic and Paralympic Games.″ It didn’t place the enactment oregon item the interaction of the cyber-meddling.

The cybersecurity bureau said different targets included those progressive successful aerospace, finance, nationalist authorities ministries and section governments. It didn't sanction them.

More than a twelve reports successful 2023 and 2024 pointed to an intensifying effort from Russia to undermine France done disinformation campaigns, peculiarly the Paris Olympics. Russian athletes' information successful the Olympics has been curtailed for years due to the fact that of the Russian penetration of Ukraine and state-sponsored doping.

The Russian Embassy successful France and the Kremlin person denied immoderate interference successful the Paris Olympics.

Responding to the French announcement Monday, Google Threat Intelligence Group main expert John Holquist said successful a connection that "targeting of the Games by the GRU was heavy anticipated ... Even though the games are a potent awesome of planetary cooperation, they are inactive the people of malicious quality operations.”

APT28 and the GRU person besides been linked to planetary cyber intrusions, including successful the 2016 US election, wherever they were accused of aiding Donald Trump by leaking Democratic Party emails.

The French Foreign Ministry named a circumstantial GRU unit, Unit 20728, arsenic being down the 2021-2024 cyberattacks. The cybersecurity bureau study besides mentions unspecified attacks connected entities successful Ukraine, elsewhere successful Europe and North America.

“These destabilizing activities are unacceptable and unworthy of a imperishable subordinate of the UN Security Council,” the Foreign Ministry said successful a statement. “Alongside its partners, France is determined to usage each the means astatine its disposal to anticipate, discourage and respond to Russia’s malicious behaviour successful cyberspace.”

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Associated Press writer Kelvin Chan successful London contributed to this report.