European intelligence agencies warn that probing suspected Russian interference now consumes as much attention and resources as counterterrorism efforts, highlighting how cyber threats and sabotage have become central to continental security concerns. This comes amid a high-profile cyberattack that disrupted France’s national postal service during the Christmas rush.
Postal Service Targeted by Pro-Russian Hackers
French prosecutors said on Wednesday that the pro-Russian hacking group Noname057(16) claimed responsibility for the attack on La Poste. Following the claim, the domestic intelligence agency DGSI took control of the investigation, according to the Paris prosecutor’s office. La Poste’s central computer systems went offline on Monday in a distributed denial-of-service attack that remained unresolved by Wednesday morning. The outage prevented postal workers from tracking deliveries and disrupted online payments at La Banque Postale, the company’s banking arm, during the busiest season of the year for a workforce of over 200,000 employees.
Noname057(16)’s History of Targeting Europe
Noname057(16) has previously attacked Ukrainian media outlets and government and corporate websites across Poland, Sweden, Germany and France. French government sites, including the Ministry of Justice and several prefectures and cities, have also been hit in the past. In July, authorities launched Operation Eastwood, a coordinated effort across 12 countries, which dismantled more than 100 servers, resulted in arrests in France and Spain, and issued seven arrest warrants, six of them for Russian nationals. Despite this crackdown, the group resumed operations within days and has remained active.
Recent Cyber Incidents Raise Security Alarms
The postal service attack came just days after French authorities disclosed a cyber breach targeting the Interior Ministry, which oversees national security. Interior Minister Laurent Nunez told Franceinfo that the suspected hacker extracted several dozen sensitive documents and accessed police records and data on wanted individuals. Last week, prosecutors revealed that France’s counterintelligence agency is investigating a suspected cyberattack plot involving software capable of remotely controlling computer systems on an international passenger ferry. Officials said a Latvian crew member is being held on charges of acting for an unidentified foreign power.
Hints of Russian Involvement and Broader Hybrid Warfare
While no official attribution has been made, Nunez suggested Russian involvement, stating, “foreign interference very often comes from same country.” France and other European allies of Ukraine argue that Russia is waging a sustained campaign of “hybrid warfare,” using sabotage, cyberattacks, assassinations and disinformation to destabilize Western societies and undermine support for Kyiv. Since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, Western officials have linked dozens of incidents across Europe to Moscow, including arson attacks on warehouses, railway sabotage and vandalism. Against this backdrop, intelligence agencies now contend that investigating Russian interference occupies as much effort as confronting traditional terrorist threats.
