Republicans party website hacked: attackers claim they stole everything, the party denies it

On the morning of Friday, October 16, visitors to the website of Les Républicains (LR), the French conservative party, did not see the usual page. Instead, they found a political manifesto and a call to protest the next day, October 17. The site was back to normal by midday, according to franceinfo.

The message goes beyond the call to mobilize. The authors state: “We have stolen all the data from your site and your members, as well as all your internal exchanges and private messages.” According to several specialized sites, they set an ultimatum for October 20 and threaten to hand these documents to journalists.

The party says no data leaked

The party's response is clear: no data has leaked, according to LR as quoted by franceinfo. People close to Bruno Retailleau play it down: “This is not a major hack.” They specify that the attack targeted the party's website, not the campaign's, and that this site holds no sensitive data. A complaint will be filed and protection against cyberattacks will be strengthened, they add.

Who is behind it? No group name appears in the information published by franceinfo. The authors present themselves as supporters of the October 17 protests.

Displaying a message does not prove data theft

At this stage, the theft remains claimed, not demonstrated. No authenticated sample or precise volume has been made public. Changing a website's home page, known as defacement, requires access to its publishing system. It does not prove that the hackers reached the members' databases or the internal messaging.

The opposite scenario also exists: a party may not know, in the first hours, the real extent of an intrusion. The denial and the claim will be settled by facts: a publication of data, or its absence, after October 20.

Members: good habits in the meantime

As in other cases of claimed but unconfirmed data leaks, such as France Travail, caution costs nothing:

• be wary of emails, text messages or calls claiming to come from the party and asking for a payment, a password or a membership renewal;
• if you have an account on the site, change your password, and change it elsewhere too if you used it for other services;
• do not click on a link claiming to give access to the “stolen data”: it is a classic lure.

For political organizations, the timing is bad: campaigns are approaching, and party websites are highly visible targets. The question now is whether October 20 brings proof, or just noise.