A pro-Russian hacking group has taken responsibility for a severe cyberattack that brought France's national postal service to a standstill just days before Christmas, according to prosecutors.
Attack Halts Critical Services
Central computer systems at La Poste were forced offline on Monday by a distributed denial of service (DDoS) attack. The disruption was so severe that by Wednesday morning, services were still not fully restored. The attack prevented postal workers from tracking package deliveries and also disrupted online payments at the service's banking division.
This incident represents a significant blow to the postal operator during its busiest season. La Poste delivered 2.6 billion packages last year and employs over 200,000 people. The timing, right before the Christmas holiday, maximised the operational and public relations damage.
Investigation and Wider Campaign
Following a claim of responsibility by the cybercrime group known as Noname057, France's domestic intelligence agency, the DGSI, has taken over the investigation. The Paris prosecutor's office confirmed this development in a statement.
The Noname057 group is no stranger to European authorities. It has been accused of orchestrating other cyberattacks across the continent, including incidents around a NATO summit in the Netherlands and targeting French government websites. Earlier this year, the group was the focus of a major European police operation.
Context of Hybrid Warfare
France and its European allies supporting Ukraine allege that Russia is conducting a campaign of "hybrid warfare" aimed at sowing division in Western societies and undermining support for Ukraine. These tactics extend beyond the battlefield to include sabotage, disinformation, and cyber operations.
An Associated Press investigation has tracked more than 145 incidents involving hostile acts attributed to this campaign, which are increasingly draining police and security resources across Europe. The attack on La Poste fits into this broader pattern of destabilising critical national infrastructure.
