As Paris lives the Olympics, France battles widespread Internet sabotage

As France gears up for the global spotlight of the Paris Olympic Games, the nation faces an unsettling challenge again: France Internet sabotage. The French fiber optic cable attack severed critical cables, leading to widespread disruptions in internet and telephone services across six regions.

While alarming, this incident is not an isolated event. It follows a troubling pattern of targeted attacks on French infrastructure, including recent arson incidents that threatened the country’s high-speed rail network. These disruptions have intensified concerns with the Paris Olympics just around the corner. Here is everything known so far.

France Internet sabotage: French fiber optic cable attack explained

On the night of July 22, 2024, French telecommunications infrastructure was targeted in a coordinated act of sabotage. At approximately 2:15 a.m., fiber optic cables, essential for high-speed internet and communication services, were deliberately cut in multiple locations. This type of sabotage involves severing the cables that carry data across long distances, leading to widespread service interruptions.

The France Internet sabotage disrupted internet and telephone services in six French regions:

• Bouches-du-Rhône
• Aude
• Oise
• Hérault
• Meuse
• Drôme

These areas experienced significant slowdowns in their internet connections and interruptions in both telephone and mobile services. The French fiber optic cable attack did not affect Paris, which is central to the upcoming Olympic Games and had been a primary concern due to its high profile.

Several major French telecommunications providers (SFR, Bouygues, and Free)  were impacted by the sabotage.

Free, in particular, acknowledged the attack through its corporate branch, Free Pro, reporting a “significant slowdown” on its network. Netalis, another major provider, confirmed the French fiber optic cable attack and communicated that it would take “a few hours” to restore services fully.

Depuis 2h15 ce matin notre réseau national subit un ralentissement significatif.
Tous nos services sont assurés avec parfois des dégradations de qualité de services.
Nos techniciens sont pleinement mobilisés. Nous vous tenons informés de l'évolution de la situation.

— Free Pro (@FreePro) July 29, 2024

France’s answer

The French government has condemned the attack, with Marina Ferrari, the Secretary of State for Digital Affairs, describing the act as “cowardly and irresponsible.” She confirmed that the attack had caused damage to both fiber optic lines and traditional telephone and mobile phone lines across the affected regions.

Interior Minister Gérald Darmanin announced that the authorities had identified potential suspects, suggesting the possibility of far-left activists being involved. However, he emphasized that this was based on preliminary findings and not definitive evidence.

It’s not the first

This sabotage follows a recent incident involving coordinated arson attacks on France’s high-speed rail network. The timing and nature of both attacks have heightened concerns about the security of French infrastructure, especially in the lead-up to the Paris Olympic Games, which are started.

All images are generated by Eray Eliaçık/Bing