Several French government websites, including the Civil Aviation Authority and the Ministry of Economy, have been the target of a massive DDoS attack.
The exact cause of the attack is unknown, but it is likely to be linked to France’s support for Ukraine. On the other hand, the hacking group Anonymous Sudan claims to have carried out the attack. Here is all we know.
Massive DDoS attack on French government sites
While the full scope and impact of the attack are still being investigated, it is claimed to have started on Sunday night and lasted for about 6 hours. During that time, the affected websites became completely inaccessible, and major disruptions occurred to the French government’s online services.
Cloudflare’s data shows that the attack is a spike in Layer 7 attacks. Such attacks aim to overwhelm a server or network with excessive traffic and take it out of service. Anonymous Sudan is a hacktivist group that has organized similar attacks in the past. Given Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and France’s plans to send military aid to Ukraine, it is likely that Russia is behind the attack.
Following the attack, the French government has taken steps to protect websites that are currently accessible. The government is also working to prevent similar attacks. There are various methods to protect against DDoS attacks. These include strengthening the infrastructure of websites, using firewalls and other security software to detect and block attacks, and raising cybersecurity awareness.
This attack on the French government opens a new front in cyber warfare. Governments and other organizations must take more steps to protect their critical infrastructure and websites against DDoS attacks. Otherwise, such attacks could become more common in the future and cause greater damage.
Featured image credit: Anthony Choren / Unsplash
