Russia-Linked Hacker Unit Targets French Presidential Election

One of the groups linked to both Russia and hacking the Democratic National Committee during the U.S. presidential election is attempting to phish French presidential candidate Emmanuel Macron, according to a security firm.

Trend Micro said Fancy Bear, aka APT 28, set up multiple domains similar to Macron’s official party site in an attempted phishing campaign to capture legit credentials and access campaign information. Researchers said Fancy Bear targeted Macron’s campaign and one associated with German Chancellor Angela Merkel’s party, according to The New York Times. A Macron spokesman said the attempts were not successful.

Fancy Bear, known for complex phishing campaigns, has been linked with Russian intelligence for years. A Russian spokesman for Vladimir Putin denied any interference in foreign elections, The Times said.