Pro-ISIS hackers take down French TV network

A French TV network sustained an “extremely powerful cyberattack” from ISIS-affiliated hackers Wednesday that knocked 11 channels off the air worldwide.

TV5Monde was the target of the so-called CyberCaliphate, an online group that also broke into the Twitter feeds for the U.S. Central Command and Newsweek magazine earlier this year. 

{mosads}The attack signaled a new level of skill and ambition for pro-ISIS hackers, who typically use more rudimentary measures to knock sites offline. TV5Monde regained control of only one of the 11 channels knocked off the air as of Thursday morning, according to reports.

Hackers compromised the network’s social media accounts and websites and defaced them with pro-ISIS propaganda, including images of an ISIS flag.

The CyberCaliphate published posts threatening French soldiers involved in anti-ISIS operations and disclosing their personal information.

The targeting of French soldiers and media properties comes after a terrorist attack by Islamic militants left 20 dead in Paris in January. A group of three suspects targeted the satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo as well as a kosher grocery store.

After the violence, hackers targeted roughly 19,000 websites around France, according to officials. While none of the cyberattacks caused serious damage, they are seen as an “unprecedented” campaign of online violence by pro-ISIS groups.

French Prime Minister Manuel Valls called the TV5Monde attack an “unacceptable infringement on freedom of speech” on Twitter, while other government officials urged French media outlets to reassess their online security.