Cyber Incident Victim: BFMTV
Date:
Mar 2024
Location:
France
Summary
BFMTV and RMC, media outlets under Altice Media, experienced a cyberattack targeting their social media accounts, with malicious posts attributed to the hacker group Epsilon. The compromised accounts disseminated hostile messages toward Russia and supportive content regarding Palestine, prompting rapid intervention by the parent company to remove the content and initiate legal proceedings against the perpetrators. This incident occurred amid a significant ownership transition, as CMA CGM finalized its acquisition of Altice Media, emphasizing commitments to editorial independence and ethical journalism while retaining existing leadership. The attack disrupted operations, leading to public assurances of restored security and ongoing efforts to identify those responsible.
| CIA Posture | Motives | Tactics, Techniques & Procedures |
|---|---|---|
| Available to members | 1 motive | 1 technique |
| Threat Actor | Type | Location |
|---|---|---|
| 1 actor | Available to members | Available to members |
Description
On March 23, 2024, BFMTV and RMC, media outlets owned by the Altice group, experienced a cyberattack targeting their social media accounts. The attackers, identified as the hacker group Epsilon, compromised official profiles and disseminated malicious messages. Epsilon had previously claimed responsibility for a March 2024 attack against French IT firm LDLC. The breached accounts published hostile content directed at Russia and supportive statements regarding Palestine, including a specific post on BFMTV's X account taunting the Kremlin: "Bah then @KremlinRussia_E we lost members? That will teach you to speak ill of President Macron." Altice Media confirmed the unauthorized posts were being progressively deleted while forensic teams worked to secure the compromised platforms. The incident occurred eight days after CMA CGM Group's announcement of its acquisition of Altice Media, including BFMTV, though no direct link was established between the corporate transaction and the attack.
Altice's incident response team immediately mobilized to contain the breach, issuing a public statement via BFMTV's X account acknowledging the hack and assuring stakeholders of restoration efforts. The organization initiated legal proceedings to identify the perpetrators, with planned prosecutions against those responsible. The attack disrupted normal social media operations but did not halt broadcast activities. Concurrently, internal communications reaffirmed the retention of BFMTV Director General Marc-Olivier Fogiel under CMA CGM's leadership continuity strategy. No data exfiltration or infrastructure compromise beyond social media accounts was reported. The incident highlighted evolving cybersecurity challenges for media entities amid France's shifting media ownership landscape following CMA CGM's full acquisition of Altice Media.