France offers technical assistance to Montenegro after serious computer attacks in recent days

Aug. 28 () –

The Minister of Foreign Affairs and the Delegate Minister of Telecommunications of France, Catherine Colonna and Jean-Noel Barrot, announced this Sunday that their country will provide technical assistance to Montenegro after the serious computer attacks that the small Balkan nation has suffered in recent days.

The attacks ended up infecting computer systems of several institutions, including the Ministry of Finance, as explained this weekend by the Montenegrin head of government, Dritan Abazovic, during a press conference. Although the country’s Defense Minister, Rasko Konjevic, hinted on public television that Russia could be involved in these attacks, the prime minister has refused to point directly to anyone responsible.

“Someone wants to use political destabilization for additional destabilization. Whether states, structures or individuals are behind this, time will tell,” the prime minister said at a press conference collected by the Montenegrin portal Pobjeda.

Abazovic has ended up requesting technical assistance from France, which this Saturday announced its affirmative response to the request. For this reason, a support mission from the National Agency for the Security of Information Systems (ANSSI) will travel to Montenegro to reinforce the protection measures of state institutions, Barrot confirmed on his Twitter account.

“France responds to the call of the Montenegrin Prime Minister to bring the experience of ANSSI to the population of the country.
Solidarity in Europe does not waver in the face of the cyber threat,” he wrote on his Twitter account, as confirmed by the Foreign Minister.

“Faced with the great cyberattacks of which Montenegro is a victim, France lends its collaboration,” he pointed out.