Islamists Hack 20,000 Websites Across France Since Charlie Hebdo Attacks

Following the terrorist attacks in Paris, last week, Islamist radicals have hacked around 20,000 websites across France.

According to the French Defence Ministry, thousands of websites across the country have been attacked by "well known Islamist hackers".

Arnaud Coustilliere, cyber security head of the French military, noted that the jihadi hackers were part of a "structured" group that targeted the websites across the country.

The cyber attacks began just after Sunday's mass rally in Paris, which was held in the memory of the Charlie Hebdo shooting victims and in "defiance" against terror.

"I believe these attacks are the response to the demonstration... by people who do not adhere to a certain number of values," he said.

The French cyber security experts discovered that the hackers had targeted websites belonging to pizza restaurants, schools, libraries, and local waste management departments. Around 20,000 websites have been "defaced" and flooded with Islamic slogans by the hacking group.

Some media reports state that several French news websites may have been targeted by the cyber terrorists. Some reports of French newspaper Le Monde coming under a DDOS attack from hackers also surfaced on the social media on 13 January.

In a separate incident, "Islamist hackers" have reportedly also targeted a French school's website in Delhi, India.