Hackers target French sites in retaliation for arrest of Telegram founder

Several French government websites have been taken offline due to a denial of service (DDoS) attack that has been linked to different hacker groups in retaliation for the arrest of Telegram founder Pavel Durov, the head of week

The 39-year-old executive was arrested under an arrest warrant alleging his platform has been involved in money laundering, drug trafficking and other crimes, including supporting terrorism. No formal charges have yet been filed against him.

DDoS attacks on French websites

Cybersecurity expert Clément Domingo, known as SaxX, shared details about ten websites affected by DDoS attacks under “opDurov”. It included screenshots showing four sites, including the French government’s public services site, La Voix du Nord newspaper, the National Agency for the Safety of Medicines and Health Products (ANSM) and the French agricultural union Confédération Paysanne.

SaxX noted that the attacks appeared to involve only DDoS outages, not data breaches or ransomware.

While a Russian-speaking hacker collective, such as the Russian Army Cyber ​​Team, claimed part of the attacks, Malaysia-based pro-Palestinian hacker group RipperSec also claimed responsibility. joined the effort, launching attacks on several French universities and educational centers. institutions

Durov flew from Azerbaijan to France on August 24, landing at Le Bourget airport north of Paris in a private jet, where he was detained by authorities. French prosecutors provided an update on August 26, stating that Durov could be detained by law enforcement until August 28 for questioning in connection with crimes allegedly committed by an “unnamed person” who uses the platform

As of August 27, no formal charges had been filed against him and no statutory offense had been established.

Durov’s arrest has sparked a major backlash, with many French authorities clashing. Tech leaders including Tesla boss Elon Musk, Ethereum’s Vitalik Buterin and VanEck’s former director of digital asset strategy Gabor Gurbacs, among others, condemned the arrest, calling the move a attack on the basic human rights of speech and association.

Macron on the arrest of Durov

Addressing what he saw as “disinformation” being spread on X about alleged violations of freedom of expression, French President Emmanuel Macron clarified that Durov’s arrest on local soil was part of an ongoing judicial investigation.

He even emphasized that this is not a political decision but a matter that the judiciary must manage independently.

“In a rule of law, freedoms are maintained within a legal framework, both in social networks and in real life, to protect citizens and respect their fundamental rights. It is up to the judiciary, with full independence, to enforce the law. The arrest of Telegram’s president on French soil occurred as part of an ongoing judicial investigation. It is in no way a political decision. It is up to the judges to decide on the matter.”

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