We're on vacation! TheDesk.net will resume publishing on Tuesday, September 26.

The Desk appreciates the support of readers who purchase products or services through links on our website. Learn more...

French websites vandalized by Islamic State sympathizers

A screen capture shows a the aftermath of a cyber attack on a French website Thursday evening. A group sympathetic to the Islamic State claimed credit for the attack. [Photo: The Desk]
A screen capture shows a the aftermath of a cyber attack on a French website Thursday evening. A group sympathetic to the Islamic State claimed credit for the attack. [Photo: The Desk]
Several French websites have been vandalized after falling victim to a purported cyber campaign by individuals sympathetic to the Islamic State militia.

The affected websites included a portal for a French resort town and a site used by a small business union.

A message posted on the defaced websites said the pages had been compromised by a group calling itself “L’APoca-Dz.” The vandalism included a message in English that read “Free Plaestine, Death to France, Death to Charlie.”

The last line appears to be directed at Charlie Hebdo, a French-language satirical magazine whose staff was targeted by two masked assailants in an attack on Wednesday. Twelve people, including nine magazine staff members, died in the attack.