Various hacktivist groups have come together under the #FreeDurov campaign to launch a massive cyber campaign against France in response to the arrest of Telegram CEO Pavel Durov. These groups, including the Cyber Army of Russia Reborn (CARR), RipperSec, EvilWeb, CyberDragon, UserSec, and STUCX Team, have united to target 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 sparked a series of cyberattacks from different hacktivist groups. These groups, with affiliations that are primarily pro-Russian and pro-Islamic, have joined forces to launch distributed denial of service attacks (DDoS Attacks) against numerous French targets in order to demand the release of Durov.
Among the key players in the #FreeDurov campaign are CARR, a pro-Russian group with ties to Russia’s military intelligence service, and RipperSec, a group from Malaysia. CARR, boasting over 62,000 members on its Telegram channel, has been actively targeting high-profile French organizations such as the Council of Europe and the French National Center for Scientific Research. On the other hand, RipperSec has utilized its custom-built DDoS tool, MegaMedusa, to attack prominent French websites like the French Ministry of Justice and the French National Police.
Additionally, other groups like EvilWeb and CyberDragon have also contributed to the campaign by using a combination of DDoS attacks and hacking techniques to infiltrate French websites. These groups have been sharing their exploits on their Telegram channels and have even claimed to have accessed sensitive data from French organizations.
The motivations behind the campaign vary among the different hacktivist groups involved. While some express support for Durov and Telegram, others have voiced concerns about the messaging app’s operational safety. According to research by Check Point, some pro-Russian groups have even described Durov as “one of ours” and have engaged in cyberwarfare for patriotic reasons.
Although the intensity of the attacks has decreased following Durov’s release from police custody, the situation remains tense. There is uncertainty about how the hacktivist groups will react if France decides to take action against Durov for what authorities claim are Telegram moderation-related issues.
As the #FreeDurov campaign continues to unfold, it sheds light on the power of hacktivist groups to mobilize in response to perceived injustices and highlights the challenges that governments and organizations face in defending against cyber threats in an increasingly digital world. The ongoing cyber campaign serves as a reminder of the complex dynamics at play in the realm of cybersecurity and the impact that hacktivism can have on global affairs.