Hacktivists unite for the #FreeDurov campaign to launch a massive cyber campaign against France in response to Telegram CEO Pavel Durov’s arrest, targeting over 50 French organizations with DDoS attacks and hacking techniques.
The arrest of Pavel Durov, the founder of the popular messaging app Telegram, by French authorities has triggered a series of cyberattacks from various hacktivist groups. These groups, primarily pro-Russian and pro-Islamic, have launched distributed denial of service attacks (DDoS Attacks) against dozens of French targets, demanding Durov’s release.
At the forefront of the campaign, dubbed #FreeDurov or #OpDurov, are the hacktivist groups such as the Cyber Army of Russia Reborn (CARR), RipperSec, EvilWeb, CyberDragon, UserSec, and STUCX Team. These groups have been using their collective resources to launch DDoS attacks on French websites, including government agencies, healthcare institutions, airports, educational institutions, and private companies.
CARR, a pro-Russian group with ties to Russia’s military intelligence service, has been particularly active in the campaign. With over 62,000 members on its Telegram channel, the group has targeted several high-profile French organizations, including the Council of Europe and the French National Center for Scientific Research.
RipperSec, a group from Malaysia, has also been involved in the campaign, using its custom-built DDoS tool, MegaMedusa, to launch attacks on French targets. The group has claimed responsibility for attacking several prominent French websites, including the French Ministry of Justice and the French National Police.
Other groups, such as EvilWeb and CyberDragon, have also joined the campaign, using a combination of DDoS attacks and hacking techniques to compromise French websites. The groups have been sharing their exploits on their Telegram channels, with some even claiming to have obtained sensitive data from French organizations.
The motivations behind the campaign vary among the groups. While some have expressed support for Durov and Telegram, others have stated that their primary concern is the operational safety of the messaging app. According to Check Point’s research, some pro-Russian groups have even proclaimed that Durov is “one of ours” and have engaged in cyberwarfare for patriotic reasons.
Nevertheless, while the intensity of the attacks has decreased since Durov’s release from police custody, it will be important to see what happens if France punishes the tech entrepreneur over what authorities claim are Telegram moderation-related issues.
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