France’s National Agency for the Security of Information Systems (Anssi) reported 4,386 “security events” on computer systems in 2024, an increase of 15 percent from the previous year, according to data revealed on Tuesday.
During the Paris Olympic Games and the rest of the year, 2024 was marked by a “large number of destabilisation attacks”, noted Anssi in its report entitled Panorama de la cybermenace (Panorama of Cyberthreats), published on Tuesday.
Anssi‘s director Vincent Strubel, told France Inter radio that for example, a pro-Russian group “threatened to attack sewage treatment plants, to pollute the Seine during the Olympic Games”.
He said that these actions were mainly carried out by pro-Russian and pro-Palestinian hacktivist groups, some of which may be affiliated with States,” he said.
Anssi refers to “hacktivist groups with a low level of technicality” but “a strong capacity to publicise their activities.”
In the report Anssi names operators like Cyber Army of Russia Reborn (CARR) and Lulzsec Muslims, who “managed to access management interfaces exposed on the Internet.”
Hackers target Grand Palais Olympics venue and other Paris museums
Strubel says the actions put in place by French authorities to deter the wave of attacks was a success and “no computer attack disrupted the smooth running” of Olympic sporting events.
Anssi says that 4,386 security incidents were reported in 2024, representing 15 percent more than in 2023.
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