Cyber attack hits French news agency AFP

The French news agency AFP has been hit by a cyber attack. The attack on the information system of Agence France-Presse, which also affected parts of the transmission technology to customers, was discovered on Friday, the agency announced in Paris.

The perpetrators of the attack and possible motives were still unknown on Sunday.

AFP’s technical department dealt with the incident with the support and expertise of the National Authority for Information Security (ANSSI). The relevant authorities in France were called in. Although transmission was temporarily impaired, AFP’s current global reporting continued as usual.

In March, several ministries and state institutions in France were hit by a large-scale cyberattack. According to media reports, pro-Russian hackers claimed responsibility for the attack. The French authorities did not want to confirm this at the time. However, France accuses Russia of increased attempts at destabilization since the beginning of the war in Ukraine.

There had already been a cyberattack on the Polish state news agency PAP at the end of May. The government in Warsaw assumes that Russian intelligence services were behind the attack.

dpa