Russians who hacked Clinton campaign also may have targeted France’s Macron
WASHINGTON — Hackers linked to the same Russian military unit that hacked Democratic computers in the United States during last year’s election also have sought to penetrate the networks of a leading candidate in France’s presidential elections, a leading cybersecurity firm says.
Researchers from Trend Micro, a global security software company, said Monday that Russian hackers took aim last month at the networks of Emmanuel Macron, a centrist who advocates a strong pan-European stance to combat meddling by Moscow.
Russian leader Vladimir Putin openly favors Mr. Macron’s opponent, Marine Le Pen, a far-right candidate who has faced allegations that her campaign received Russian financing. Ms. Le Pen and Mr. Putin share antipathy toward the European Union.
Mr. Macron and Ms. Le Pen were the top vote-getters in Sunday’s firstround presidential elections, and will face one another in a runoff May 7.
The hackers who went after Mr. Macron are the same ones who penetrated the networks of the Democratic National Committee in 2015-16 and hacked emails of John Podesta — Hillary Clinton’s campaign chairman — which were later published by WikiLeaks, the anti-secrecy group, Trend Micro experts said.
The Russian hacking group is known by many names, including Fancy Bear, Pawn Storm, APT28, Strontium and Sofacy. Another cybersecurity group, ThreatConnect, says the hackers are linked to the GRU, an elite Russian military intelligence unit.
The Kremlin scoffed at the report.
In any case, Russian lawmakers and state-run media on Monday weren’t hiding their disappointment at Mr. Macron’s victory.
Back in France, established parties are rallying around the man who helped shut them out of the presidential runoff, maverick centrist Mr. Macron — an alliance of convenience aimed at keeping far-right Ms. Le Pen out of the Elysee Palace.
Support for Mr. Macron also poured in Monday from the seat of the EU, as well as German Chancellor Angela Merkel and Jewish and Muslim groups troubled by Ms. Le Pen’s nationalist vision.
Ms. Le Pen, meanwhile, announced she was temporarily stepping down as the National Front’s party leader, a move that appeared to be aimed at drawing a wider range of potential voters and was in keeping with her efforts in recent years to garner broader support from the left and right.