The French government named a group of hackers linked to the Russian government and its intelligence service as responsible for cyberattacks on a number of French businesses, including Airbus, Air France and utility company Électricité de France, Politico reports.
The systems breach was hidden in a software package by French supplier Centreon and used the same strategy of the SolarWinds cyberintrusion that struck American companies. The French government identified the hacker group Sandworm, known as Unit 74455, of the Russian GRU.
The French cybersecurity agency ANSSI said the attack “bears several similarities with previous campaigns attributed to the intrusion set named Sandworm,” which “is known to lead consequent intrusion campaigns before focusing on specific targets that fits its strategic interests within the victims pool.”