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French TV Network Resumes Broadcasting After Alleged Islamic State Hack

The hackers posted documents on the network's Facebook page that purported to contain personal information relating to French troops currently deployed in anti-IS military operations.
Imagen vía TV5 Monde

France's international television network TV5 Monde was back on the air Thursday following a major cyberattack by self-proclaimed Islamic State (IS) hackers.

A group known as CyberCaliphate claimed responsibility for the hack. It started at 10 PM on Wednesday, interrupting television broadcasts on the network's 11 channels, which are available in more than 200 countries worldwide. Hackers also took control of the broadcaster's website and social media accounts.

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In a video message published on the network's YouTube channel, TV5 Monde director Yves Bigot described the hack as "extremely powerful."

Message d'— TV5MONDE (@TV5MONDE)April 9, 2015

The hackers posted "CyberCaliphate" banners on the network's social media accounts, including a "Je suIS IS" banner that referred to the "Je Suis Charlie" slogan, which became ubiquitous following terror attacks in January that left 17 dead in and around Paris, including journalists and cartoonists from the satirical French magazine Charlie Hebdo.

Related: French Interior Minister Brings Counterterrorism Agenda to Silicon Valley

TV5's main Twitter account and Facebook page were back online this morning, but the Twitter account of TV5 Africa was still displaying radical Islamic propaganda, including a message accusing French President Francois Hollande of making "a great mistake" in sending troops to fight IS as part of a US-led coalition.

The message, which appeared in French, Arabic, and English, also warns the French military to "stay out of the war with the Islamic State," and goes on to threaten the families of servicemembers. The hackers claimed to have accessed "confidential data" relating to French soldiers, and said that they are preparing "new gifts."

???? ??????? ??????????????? ?????? ?????????! évoque ?????… ???? ?? ?????? ???????…??! ??????…?? ?????? ?????? ????????…! — TV5Monde Afrique (@TV5MondeAfrique)April 8, 2015

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According to Francetvinfo, the hackers posted documents on the network's Facebook page that purported to contain personal information relating to French troops currently deployed in anti-IS military operations. The posts have since been removed and the French Defense Ministry has said it is investigating the authenticity of the documents.

A CyberCaliphate website has also published files — including resumes and emails — that it claims were sent to local French authorities and that appear to contain personal information.

Aside from the hackers' self-proclaimed allegiance to the Islamic State and to "cyberjihad," there has been no official confirmation of an IS link. A legal investigation is currently underway in France.

Wassim Nasr, an expert on jihadist movements for French news channel France 24, noted that the Arabic versions of the messages were littered with spelling and grammar mistakes, suggesting that the authors were unlikely to be Arabic. Meanwhile, French news site Numerara has suggested the cyberattack could be the work of Dutch hackers.

— Wassim Nasr (@SimNasr)April 9, 2015

French Interior Minister Bernard Cazeneuve and Culture Minister Fleur Pellerin met on Thursday with several media heads in Paris to discuss the strengthening of cybersecurity measures. Pellerin and Cazeneuve have both referred to the hack as a "terrorist" attack, and Cazeneuve said that the French government is "determined to fight" the cyber-terrorist threat.

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L'attaque du réseau — Manuel Valls (@manuelvalls)April 9, 2015

J'exprime tout mon soutien et ma solidarité aux équipes de la chaîne — Fleur Pellerin (@fleurpellerin)April 9, 2015

This past January, CyberCaliphate hackers claimed to have taken over the US Central Command's Twitter account, and the group was also blamed for hacking Newsweek's Twitter account back in January.

TV5 Monde News Director André Crettenand told AFP that the network would resume normal broadcasting, including live bulletins, by noon on Thursday, but according to French daily Le Figaro, it could take several days for the 13 experts of ANSSI — France's Network and Information Security Agency — to completely restore service.

Follow Matthieu Jublin on Twitter: @MatthieuJublin