**France Probes "Foreign Interference" After Malware Found on Ferry**

France is investigating a potential case of foreign interference after a passenger ferry was infected with malware that could have allowed the ship to be remotely controlled, Interior Minister Laurent Nunez revealed Wednesday.

The incident occurred when a Latvian national was arrested and charged after the malware was discovered on a ferry called the Fantastic, which belongs to Italian shipping company GNV. The ferry had been docked in France's Mediterranean port of Sete when the malware was found.

The interior minister said that Italian authorities had warned France about the potential vulnerability of the vessel's operating system, which could have been infected by a Remote Access Trojan (RAT) - a type of malware that allows hackers to gain remote control of a system. Two crew members, one Latvian and one Bulgarian, were detained last week after being identified by Italian authorities.

The Bulgarian national was later released, but the Latvian is still under arrest as part of the investigation. Paris prosecutors have opened an inquiry into suspected foreign interference, with the aim of determining whether a foreign power was involved in attempting to hack into the ship's data-processing system.

Christian Cevaer, director of the France Cyber Maritime monitor, warned that any attempt to take control of a ship would constitute a "critical risk" due to the potential for serious physical consequences. He added that such an operation would likely require complicity within the crew.

Nunez refused to comment on whether Russia was involved in the alleged hacking incident, but acknowledged that foreign interference is becoming increasingly common in France and other European countries. "These days one country is very often behind foreign interference," he said.

The interior minister also revealed that his ministry had been targeted by a cyberattack in recent days, with around 50 confidential files related to criminal records and wanted individuals accessed using shared passwords on messaging apps.

The investigation into the ferry incident is being led by France's domestic intelligence service, the General Directorate for Internal Security (DGSI), and includes an emergency inspection of the ship after it was cordoned off in port. Emergency searches were also conducted in Latvia with the support of Eurojust, the European Union's judicial cooperation arm.

The Latvian national's lawyer, Thibault Bailly, questioned the theory that Russia was involved in the alleged hacking incident, saying "the investigation will shed light on several aspects of this case that are still unclear." He added that his client is cooperating fully with investigators and expects to be exonerated.

The incident has raised concerns about the potential for foreign interference in France's maritime industry, with the interior minister warning that such incidents could have serious consequences for passenger safety. The investigation is ongoing, and it remains to be seen whether any other individuals or countries will be implicated.