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France Probes Suspected State-Linked Ferry Malware After Latvian Crewman Charged

Counterespionage officers are probing a suspected state‑linked attempt to infiltrate the ferry's systems.

Overview

  • France's DGSI is leading a criminal inquiry opened by the Paris prosecutor into an organised attempt to attack an automated data‑processing system serving a foreign power.
  • A Latvian crew member was transferred to Paris and charged with conspiracy to act for a foreign power and hacking offenses, while a Bulgarian colleague was detained then released.
  • Investigators were alerted to a Remote Access Trojan on GNV's Fantastic, a tool that could enable remote control of computers, though maritime specialists say a remote hijack is highly unlikely without insider access.
  • The ferry was cordoned off for an emergency inspection, items were seized for analysis, and maritime authorities later cleared the vessel to resume service after technical checks.
  • Cross‑border searches took place in Latvia with Eurojust support, and French officials separately disclosed a recent Interior Ministry breach that extracted a few dozen confidential files.