Russia, China, the United States… How France protects itself against cyber espionage

It is a blunder worthy of Hubert Bonisseur de la Bath, aka OSS 117, that cost Germany dearly, both internally and externally. At a time when allies’ commitment to support Ukraine is crucial, a confidential discussion between German military officials was leaked to the Russian channel RT. Proof that Moscow is aggressive with regard to instability and that caution with regard to cyber security is more important than ever.

On the cyber espionage front, is France safe from these types of leaks? How does she protect herself on this battlefield? Where do the main threats come from? Answers with Didier Dennett, an associate researcher at the Geode Center and an expert in cyber defense and former executive of the General Directorate of External Security (DGSE), who calls himself Olivier Mass aka Beryl 614 on YouTube.

Could France be the victim of a leak of confidential information?

No one is safe from being the target of an attack like the one targeting Germany. “This deliberate Russian operation designed among the Germans could very well be carried out to sow conflict in France,” underlined Didier Dennett. Especially since error is human and defects are mainly connected with the human factor.

That’s what happened for Germany when four senior Air Force officers spoke on the public video conferencing platform WebEx. In France, “we’ve already made these kinds of mistakes,” recalls a cyber defense expert. Example: Soldiers who record their morning jogs on the Strava app and post positions in Niger or Mali.

“We understand that some people, even executives, when there are secure devices, take the easy way out and use their iPhone instead of an encrypted phone,” adds Olivier Mass. “The Pegasus scandal is generally that,” he recalls of the spyware used by Morocco to spy on French journalists, according to revelations in the press. An investigation was launched by the Paris Prosecutor’s Office in this matter.

How does it protect itself against espionage?

However, defense systems exist and are effective. Encrypted telephones, encrypted video conferencing software… “At DGSE, there are very sophisticated communication systems for hidden and secure communications that are used by the General Staff, ministries, embassies…”, lists Olivier Maas.

So the room for progress is clearly on the team training side because “we are not immune to careless behaviour”, warns Didier Dennett. However, “fighting in this area is more difficult because we don’t have a philosophy of good practices,” he stresses.

Where do the major international threats come from?

Even if we can feel safe in France, we remain the target of the top three in terms of espionage: Russia, China and the United States. If the first two make the most “aggressive, dangerous and obvious” pair, we “must not underestimate our allies who are also looking for lice on us,” says Olivier Maas. The bigger the fish you catch, the more attention you will attract, which is why France, like Germany, favors hunting in Europe.

In terms of espionage, cyber is only one part of the range of possibilities. “All possible methods are used,” according to Didier Dennett, even if cyber risks add up. “It’s a great entry point because everything is connected,” he adds. Yet other more traditional techniques remain relevant, such as poaching company executives or influence peddling in which “profiles are recruited that will defend a position in public opinion”, explains Olivier Maas. Opaque and parallel warfare that makes it possible to avoid retaliation by maintaining obscurity around the origin of the attack.