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07 March 2011, 13:02

PCs at French Ministry of Finance infected with spyware

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François Baroin
François Baroin confirms the cyber attacks on his ministry in an interview with radio station Europe 1.
The French Budget Minister, François Baroin, has confirmed a reportFrench language link by Paris Match magazine which said that his ministry fell victim to a cyber attack in December 2010. During the attack, 150 PCs were reportedly infected with spyware. The as yet unknown attackers appear to have targeted documents in connection with the French G20 presidency. The report said that although no official traces have been confirmed, there is evidence that the documents found their way to the unknown attackers via Chinese computers.

First evidence of an attack already appeared in January 2011. Since then, the French Network and Information Security Agency, Agence Nationale de la Sécurité des Systèmes d'Information (ANSSI), has been investigating the case. The report didn't state how the attackers compromised the PCs or which vulnerabilities were exploited.

Reportedly, other government ministries were also attacked, but without success. A similar attack on the G20 presidency was apparently already carried out last year when the Canadian Department of Trade and Commerce chaired the G20.

(crve)

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