Hack of France sports minister’s X account highlights Olympics cyberthreats

PARIS — An unusual takeover of the French sports minister’s X account was spotted and stopped quickly, but the case underscored the need for French officials to prepare for a range of cyberthreats when they host the Olympics this summer.

Some X users noted that the account of French Sports Minister Amélie Oudéa-Castéra changed its photo over the weekend. One tech company chief executive said he received a bizarre message from that account, in English, warning he was violating the social media company’s policies and would see his account closed unless he clicked a link to contest that determination.