PARIS — The US Embassy in Paris ‘‘categorically’’ denied claims Wednesday in a French magazine report that the US government was behind a hacking attack against computers in the French president’s palace this year.

The French government also played down the report in ­L’Express magazine. Many countries — including France and the United States — see cyberattacks as a major threat and have sought to boost defenses against intrusions into their computer systems. An array of reported hacking attacks recently in places such as Iran and Saudi Arabia have highlighted the menace.