Hacktivists initiated a DDoS campaign using the hashtag #FreeDurov to demand the liberation of Pavel Durov, the CEO of Telegram, who was arrested by French authorities. Groups like Cyber Army of Russia Reborn (CARR) and RipperSec led this movement with attacks on over 50 French targets through distributed denial-of-service attacks. These hacktivist groups, including pro-Russian CyberDragon and UserSec, reacted differently to Durov's arrest, citing concerns about Telegram's operational security and alleged NATO attempts to control Telegram
The release of Durov temporarily halted the #FreeDurov campaign, awaiting further actions from French authorities. https://www.silicon.fr/Thematique/cybersecurite-1371/Breves/Des-hacktivistes-lancent-une-campagne-DDoS-sous-le-hashtag-FreeDurov-463662.htm