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A cyberattack targeting French postal group La Poste's online services since December 22 has been claimed by pro-Russian hacking group Noname057, with Paris prosecutors opening an investigation assigned to France's domestic intelligence agency, TF1-LCI reported on December 23.
This latest incident comes as Russian hackers continue to ramp up operations against Western Europe. Previously, throughout much of the 2010s, cyberattacks have been a significant component of Russia's so-called "hybrid war" against European countries, including DDoS attacks on state agencies and payment systems in the UK.
The Paris prosecutor's office confirmed opening an inquiry into "obstruction of the functioning of an automated data processing system" following a complaint filed by La Poste. The investigation has been assigned to the National Cyber Unit and the General Directorate for Internal Security (DGSI).
Noname057 is a pro-Russian hacker group responsible for multiple attacks primarily targeting Ukraine and its allies including France. The group's claim mentioned only the domain name "lidentite.numerique.laposte.fr", whose access was not disrupted in the afternoon, AFP observed.
The attack constitutes a denial-of-service operation disrupting La Poste's online platforms. Cybersecurity researcher Baptiste Robert called for caution regarding the "late" claim on his X account, noting it is "usual to see opportunistic claims" by groups seeking media attention.
Such attacks have increased since France expanded military and economic support for Ukraine following Russia's invasion in February 2022.
Over the last three years, Oxford University and the University of New South Wales in Canberra have conducted a study, assessing the most significant sources of cybercrime, and for the first time in history ranked countries according to the World Cybercrime Index (WCI). Based on the findings of the study, published in April 2024, Russia took first place.
La Poste operates France's postal services alongside banking and digital identity verification platforms, making it a significant target for disruption campaigns.
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