TV5Monde cyberattack 'work of Russian hackers'
Investigators into the massive cyberattack on French international broadcaster TV5 Monde believe it was the work of a Russian group and not of the Islamic State armed group (IS), French media report. Cybersecurity groups claimed that the APT28 group, now suspected of being behind the attack, is linked to the Russian government.
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On 8 April TV5 Monde lost control of its broadcasts, website, Facebook page and Twitter account and statements claiming to be from IS, formerly known as Isis, were placed on the site.
But French anti-terror investigators now believe that the attack was the work of a group of hackers known as APT28, sometimes also known as Pawn Storm or Sofacy group, according to experts.
The US-based cybersecurity group FireEye says that APT28 has been active since at least 2007 and claims the regularity of its attacks and the information it collects show that it is supported by the Russian government.
Japanese company Trend Micro says that Pawn Storm has targeted Russian dissidents.
Investigators have traced the alleged perpetrators through the IP addresses of computers used in the operation.
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