The French Senate website was offline on Friday after a group of pro-Russian hackers claimed to have taken it down. This is the latest cyberattack targeting France since Russia invaded Ukraine last year.
Who are the hackers and why did they do it?
The hackers call themselves NoName and they communicate via Telegram, a messaging app. They said they hacked the Senate website because “France is working with Ukraine on a new ‘aid’ package which may include weapons”.¹²
They also claimed to be behind the previous attacks on the website of the National Assembly, the lower house of the French Parliament, in March³ and on several Canadian government websites in April¹². In both cases, they said they were protesting against the support of these countries for Ukraine.
How did they hack the website and what was the impact?
The hackers used a distributed denial-of-service (DDoS) attack, which floods a website with fake traffic and overwhelms its servers. This makes it difficult or impossible for legitimate users to access the website.
The attack started in the morning and lasted for several hours. The Senate said on Twitter that “access to the site has been disrupted since this morning” and that a team was working to fix the problem.¹²
The attack did not affect the work of the senators or compromise any sensitive data, according to a Senate spokesperson.³
How did France and other countries react to the attack?
France condemned the attack as an attempt to undermine its democracy and sovereignty. It also reaffirmed its solidarity with Ukraine and its commitment to defend its territorial integrity.
France is one of the main supporters of Ukraine in its conflict with Russia, which annexed Crimea in 2014 and backs separatist rebels in eastern Ukraine. France is part of the Normandy format, a diplomatic group that also includes Germany, Russia and Ukraine, and seeks to find a peaceful solution to the crisis.
Other countries that have been targeted by pro-Russian hackers also expressed their support for Ukraine and their determination to resist cyberattacks. Canada’s Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said that “a webpage being down for a few hours is in no way going to dissuade us from our unshakeable support of Ukraine”.¹²
What are the implications and challenges of these cyberattacks?
These cyberattacks show that pro-Russian hackers are becoming more active and aggressive in their attempts to disrupt and influence the policies of countries that oppose Russia’s actions in Ukraine. They also pose a threat to the security and stability of cyberspace, which is increasingly vital for communication, commerce and governance.
However, these cyberattacks also face some challenges and limitations. First, they are not very sophisticated or damaging compared to other forms of cyberwarfare, such as espionage, sabotage or propaganda. Second, they are not very effective in changing the opinions or behaviors of their targets, who often respond with defiance and resilience. Third, they may backfire and provoke more international condemnation and cooperation against Russia and its allies.
Therefore, while these cyberattacks are a nuisance and a challenge for France and other countries, they are not likely to deter them from supporting Ukraine or defending their own interests and values.