Cyberattacks: France is preparing in an explosive context


As Russia continues its military operation in Ukraine, in France the risk of a cyberattack is growing. The authorities are on alert and are raising the level of security. Companies are clearly targeted.

As the war continues in Ukraine and fighting escalates near the capital, Kyiv, the threat of cyberwar has never been higher. Westerners expect Russian reprisals after the numerous international economic sanctions decreed against Moscow.

The alert threshold at its maximum level?

In France, the authorities take the risk of cyberattacks very seriously. On Thursday, February 24, a defense council devoted to “developments in Ukraine” was held at the Elysée. A strategic meeting during which it was asked to “raise the alert threshold to the highest level“, in all French cyber services, according to information from Europe 1.

Similarly, in a press release, the National Information Systems Security Agency (ANSSI) calls on professionals to be vigilant in this period of “international tensions […] especially between Russia and Ukraine“The agency says it is monitoring the situation closely and is asking organizations to implement “cybersecurity measures“, as well as to strengthen the “alertness level.” ANSSI, which has not yet detected any cyber threats related to “recent events“.

Cyber ​​threats: risks for French companies

A cyberattack is precisely what Stéphane Boujnah, chairman of the board of directors of Euronext, the main stock exchange in Europe, fears. “What we watch the most is the risk of cyberattacks“, alarmed the leader on France Info. He expects “attacks on a significant scale.”

A risk which, according to him, should encourage “every business leader” and “each household“to arm oneself with”precautions to strengthen the cybersecurity of information systems, whether modest, office automation, or more significant, linked to production, or more systemic, linked to the heart of the activity.” In this slightly anxiety-provoking message, Stéphane Boujnah even encourages “print, to have a written record in a drawer, the things that are really very important“, in “certain cases“.

Growing tensions around cyberspace

Cyberspace could indeed become the next theater of an escalation of the conflict. French observers are attentive to the latest cyberattacks that have targeted Ukraine. Before and during the Russian offensive in the country, several banks and official administrations were the target of computer attacks. The European Union has even decided, at Kiev’s request, to deploy its Cyber ​​group to come to the aid of Ukrainian IT infrastructures.

These cyberattacks have taken multiple forms in recent weeks. Most of them were denial of service (DDoS) attacks. More worrying, malware are also used to infect machines. The latter can exploit the host machine as they please, like a botnet, or completely erase the data on the hard drive. This is the case of a new virus identified by the research team of ESET, a Slovak cybersecurity company. In a tweet, the company announces that it has discovered this malware in Ukraine. It would have been installed on “hundreds of machines in the country“.

We can easily imagine how this virus could destabilize companies or, worse, public administrations. This is why France and its cyber teams are getting into battle order.

Russia targeted in turn

But Westerners would not be the only victims in this virtual war. For their part, the Russian intelligence services are also warning about the intensification of cyber threats on their territory. The Federal Security Service of the Russian Federation (FSB, intelligence) calls for vigilance. “Attacks may aim to disrupt the operation of important information resources and services and damage reputation, including for political purposes […] Any disruption in the operation of critical IT infrastructure facilities due to a cause not reliably determined must first be treated as the result of a computer attack.“, explains the administration, relayed by the Russian press agency Interfax.

According to French cyber-threat site Zataz, attacks against Russia in cyberspace continue to escalate. The critical flaws of several hundred Russian sites have reportedly been broadcast on the net. The website of Russia Today, a media funded by the Kremlin, was also reportedly the target of a hack.

Although the war continues to rage using traditional military means, much of the battlefield has indeed dematerialized, much to the chagrin, as always, of civilian populations.





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