France’s National Cybersecurity Agency (ANSSI) observed a significant rise in cyber espionage campaigns targeting strategic organizations in 2023.
These operations are increasingly focused on individuals and non-governmental structures that create, host or transmit sensitive data, ANSSI observed in its 2023 Cyber Threat Landscape report, published on February 27, 2024.
Besides public administration, the primary targets of cyber espionage activity included organizations associated with the French government, such as technology and defense contractors, research institutes and think tanks.
Overall, cyber espionage remained the top cyber threat ANSSI’s teams dealt with in 2023.
ANSSI has also noted an increase in attacks against business and personal mobile phones aimed at targeted individuals.
There has also been an upsurge in attacks that have used methods publicly associated with the Russian government.
“These attacks are not limited to mainland French territory: in 2023, ANSSI dealt with the compromise of an IT network located in a French overseas territory using an attack modus operandi publicly associated with China,” reads the report.
30% Rise in Ransomware
Meanwhile, financially motivated attacks were also on the rise, with an observed 30% increase in ransomware attacks compared to 2022.
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