This official attribution departs from a lead raised earlier by the specialist press. The latter had implicated two pro-Russian hacker groups, NoName057(16) and Z-Pentest, already linked to other operations in Europe. On November 5, the Kremlin denied any involvement in these cyberattacks, which have targeted France and other European countries in recent weeks.
French justice is targeting three leaders of a hacker group linked to the Revolutionary Guards. Investigating judges were appointed on Monday to investigate these large-scale cyberattacks.
A judicial investigation was opened by the Paris prosecutor’s office at the end of an inquiry that was reportedly conducted jointly with the Pentagon. The DGSI said it had uncovered a modus operandi characteristic of this unit.
The investigation has been entrusted to the Anti-Cybercrime Office (Ofac) and the General Directorate for Internal Security (DGSI). Their inquiries will continue under the direction of the investigating judges.
On October 12, the cybercrime section of the Paris prosecutor’s office took up, “under its national jurisdiction, these simultaneous attacks,” the head of the Paris prosecutor’s office specified. Paris has also launched a diplomatic response. “We have, of course — it is the least we could do — summoned the Iranian ambassador to France on Monday to protest very strongly against this extremely serious act,” Mr. Barrot said.
He described the operation as “an attack of unprecedented scale and unprecedented aggressiveness.” According to the prosecutor’s office, it caused significant food losses and about twenty fires. According to the findings of the investigation, the group under investigation allegedly took remote control of several hundred refrigerators, raised the thermostats and rendered fresh products unfit for consumption.