DDoS attack took down French government websites, possibly related to Pavel Durov's arrest

Several French government websites were taken offline due to a distributed denial of service (DDoS) attack, which is suspected to be related to a Russian hacker group. The affected websites include the Paris Administrative Court, the French health department and the French Supreme Court website. The attack is believed to be a response to the arrest of Telegram founder Pavel Durov in France. On August 24, Durov was detained by French authorities on charges including conspiracy with illegal activities. French President Emmanuel Macron subsequently issued a statement saying that Durov's arrest was not for political reasons and reiterated France's commitment to freedom of speech. However, the statement triggered widespread criticism from the crypto community and free speech activists, including industry leaders such as Ethereum co-founder Vitalik Buterin and billionaire Elon Musk, who called for Durov's release. As of now, Durov has not been formally charged with a crime. French authorities can detain him until August 28 for further investigation