French Postal Service Faces Cyberattack Claims by Pro-Russian Hackers
Just days before Christmas, a critical service for millions of French citizens and businesses ground to a halt. A major cyberattack targeted the central computer systems of La Poste, France’s national postal service, crippling package tracking and disrupting online banking services in a blow timed for maximum impact during the busiest delivery season of the year.
On Wednesday, the Paris prosecutor’s office confirmed that a pro-Russian hacking collective known as “Noname057” has claimed responsibility for the assault. The investigation has now been taken over by France’s domestic intelligence agency, the DGSI, underscoring the severity with which authorities are treating the incident.
The attack, described as a distributed denial-of-service (DDoS) attack, flooded La Poste’s systems with traffic, knocking them offline. The disruption began on Monday and, according to the company, was still not fully resolved by Wednesday morning. For a service that delivered 2.6 billion packages last year and employs over 200,000 people, the consequences were immediate and widespread. Postal workers were left unable to track deliveries, causing delays and confusion, while customers of its banking arm faced payment disruptions.
The group behind the attack is not new to European security services. Noname057 has been accused of orchestrating other cyberattacks across the continent, including incidents around a NATO summit in the Netherlands and targeting French government websites. Earlier this year, the collective was the focus of a major European police operation, indicating its established role in the digital landscape of hybrid conflict.
This incident is viewed by France and its European allies as part of a broader, troubling pattern. Officials allege that Russia is waging a sustained campaign of “hybrid warfare” aimed at sowing division within Western societies and eroding public support for Ukraine. Such campaigns move beyond the battlefield, leveraging sabotage, disinformation, assassinations, and cyberattacks to stretch and drain the resources and resolve of democratic nations.
The attack on La Poste is more than an IT failure; it is a direct strike on civilian infrastructure and daily life. By choosing a beloved national institution at its peak operational moment, the perpetrators sought not just to disrupt logistics but to generate public frustration and undermine confidence in critical services. It transforms the holiday season’s anticipation into a scene of uncertainty and inconvenience, a tangible effect felt in homes across the country.
As French investigators work to untangle the digital threads of this attack, the event serves as a stark reminder of how modern conflicts extend far beyond traditional frontiers. The front lines now include package delivery networks, banking systems, and the very digital infrastructure that holds daily life together. The resilience of these systems, and the public’s awareness of their vulnerability, has become an integral part of national security.
