Malware on ferry triggers espionage alarm in France
A cyber intrusion capable of remote ship control prompts a high-level probe, with Paris investigating whether a foreign power was behind the breach.
France has opened a sweeping investigation into suspected foreign interference after malware capable of remotely controlling a passenger ferry was discovered while the vessel was docked at a Mediterranean port.
Interior Minister Laurent Nunez said on Wednesday the case was being treated as “very serious,” confirming that authorities are examining whether the intrusion served the interests of a foreign state.
“Investigators are obviously looking into interference — yes, foreign interference,” he told France Info radio.
The malware, identified as a Remote Access Trojan (RAT), was found aboard the Fantastic, a passenger ferry operated by Italian shipping firm GNV with capacity for more than 2,000 passengers. The vessel was docked in the southern French port of Sete when the threat was detected, according to Paris prosecutors.
Italian authorities had alerted France that the ship’s operating system may have been compromised. Two crew members — a Latvian and a Bulgarian national — were detained last week after being flagged by Italian officials. The Bulgarian was released, while the Latvian was charged and placed under arrest.
Prosecutors said the investigation centres on a suspected attempt by an organised group to attack an automated data-processing system “with the aim of serving the interests of a foreign power.”
Intelligence services take over
Reflecting the gravity of the case, France’s domestic intelligence agency, the DGSI, has taken the lead. The ferry was temporarily cordoned off and subjected to emergency inspections, during which several items were seized. After technical checks ruled out immediate danger, maritime authorities cleared the ship to resume sailing.
Emergency searches were also carried out in Latvia with the support of Eurojust, the EU’s judicial cooperation body, and Latvian authorities.
While Nunez declined to name a specific country, he noted that “these days one country is very often behind foreign interference,” a comment made amid repeated warnings by France and other European governments about stepped-up Russian hybrid activity linked to the war in Ukraine.
The Latvian suspect’s lawyer pushed back against speculation, calling talk of Russian involvement “superfluous” and saying the investigation would show the case was “not as worrying as it may have initially seemed.”