Should we expect more cyberattacks in the run-up to the European elections in June? What are we to make of the "unprecedentedly intense" attack on a government computer network on March 10 and 11, for which a "hacktivist" group claimed responsibility? What will the threats be to this summer's Olympic Games in France?
While the InCyber Forum, France's leading cybersecurity conference, took place in Lille from Tuesday, March 26, to Thursday, March 28, John Hultquist, chief analyst at Mandiant, dedicated to tracking down and studying elite hackers, answered Le Monde's questions.
APT29 generally carries out two types of action. The first is targeting technology companies, which they compromise to get the companies' customers. The second is phishing aimed at diplomatic personnel. This is therefore a notable exception. Given that many elections will be taking place around the world in 2024, we're worried about this kind of hacker group getting involved. Political measures are born in the parties. If your job is to gather intelligence for an opposing country, that's where the relevant information can be found.
Given the number of elections that are about to take place in the West, it's of enormous importance for intelligence services to be interested. The other very important factor is, of course, the war in Ukraine. Russia needs to know what France, Germany and the US think about the conflict. They've wanted to determine our next courses of action even before the war. And to do that, they read our emails.
Absolutely, and that's why we're sounding the alarm. All the more so as Russia has a track record in this area, its military intelligence having targeted Emmanuel Macron's party in 2017. The threat is real.
[During the Russian maneuvers against the 2017 French presidential election,] APT29 was not involved, it was Sandworm and APT28 [two units linked to Russia's military intelligence service, the GRU], which were more aggressive and focused on election interference. They were involved in attacks in which they retrieved information and then published it. APT29 [hackers], by contrast, stay on their target, digging and retrieving as much information as possible for their sponsor.
You have 52.26% of this article left to read. The rest is for subscribers only.