Macron Campaign Says It Was Target of ‘Massive’ Hacking Attack
The hacking, which involved a dump of campaign documents, including emails and accounting records, emerged hours before a legal prohibition on campaign communications went into effect. While the leak may have little effect, the timing makes it extremely difficult for Mr. Macron to mitigate any damaging fallout before the runoff election, in which he faces the far-right candidate Marine Le Pen, who has pledged to pull France out of the euro and hold a referendum to leave the European Union.
The hacking immediately evoked comparisons to November’s election in the United States, during which American intelligence agencies have concluded that Russia’s president, Vladimir V. Putin, ordered an “influence campaign” to benefit the Republican nominee, Donald J. Trump. Groups linked to Russia have been accused of trying to hack the Macron organization.
In a statement, the Macron campaign said the hackers had mixed fake documents along with authentic ones, “to sow doubt and misinformation.”