“European elections will be a serious test and goal”: France is alert to the risk of cyber attacks

Ahead of the Olympic Games (JO) in Paris this summer, the European elections on June 19 will be a “serious issue and target” for foreign manipulation. This was announced this Wednesday by the Secretary General of Defense and National Security (SGDSN), Stéphane Bouillon.

“Beyond the Olympics, we are very sensitive to what is happening in Ukraine today, and the European elections will be a serious issue and a target for some of our foreign competitors,” he told the National Assembly’s Defense Commission, without naming any country.

The SGDSN, dependent on the prime minister, is organizing a meeting on March 29 for all French political party candidates in the European elections to raise awareness of so-called hybrid threats to address the risks of “cyber attacks, information manipulation and foreign interference.”

The danger of hybrid threats

Regarding the Olympic Games in Paris, the Secretary General said that in the run-up to the event, a series of exercises were organized simulating “cyber attacks, attacks on transport”, as well as meetings on precautions that need to be taken in terms of telecommunications security.

In recent weeks, Paris has openly condemned a series of Russian-led destabilization attempts aimed at undermining public support for the Ukrainian cause.

According to the Secretary General, hybrid threats are “those that we cannot attribute, that we do not see at first glance, be it cyber attacks, disinformation, attacks on our economic security.” “These threats are growing and may even cause us to lose the war before the enemy shows a weapon, this is an old Sun Tzu principle. (author of The Art of War). M“But it is much faster and more effective to make us lose the war and sink us,” he concluded.