Major sporting events are unthinkable without functioning IT. At the Olympic Games in Paris, the organizers must protect themselves above all from hackers who want revenge.
The organizers of the Olympic Games in Paris must prepare for increased cyber attacks. This is the result of a study by the renowned cyber security expert WithSecure from Finland. The report assumes that there is an increased risk compared to previous Olympic Games due to geopolitical tensions.
The study authors identify Russia as the most likely source of the cyber attacks. There, three groups are motivated to disrupt the games. In addition to state hacker groups, private activists and ordinary cyber criminals are also potential attackers. State actors in particular have the ability and the intent to cause lasting damage to the Olympic Games and France’s reputation.
Not only Russia is dangerous
In Paris, athletes from Russia and Belarus are only allowed to participate as “neutral, individual athletes” because of the Russian attack on Ukraine. The athletes must also have no connection to the military and are excluded from the opening ceremony. French President Emmanuel Macron is one of the most staunch critics of the Russian war of aggression in the Western world.
However, WithSecure does not only see an increased risk of cyber attacks from Russia. Other state actors such as China, North Korea and Iran as well as other hacker groups and organized cyber criminals outside the Russian Federation could also be considered as attackers.
It’s less about ransom
According to experts, the attackers could try to penetrate the organizers’ networks and encrypt the data, similar to common cyber attacks using ransomware. However, the attackers are probably less interested in a ransom. Rather, they are primarily concerned with disrupting the running of the games.
Private hacktivists, who typically organize themselves in Telegram channels, have specialized in so-called denial-of-service attacks. In this case, websites are bombarded with massive requests until the servers collapse. WithSecure does not only expect activists from Russia to be involved here. Pro-Ukrainian, pro-Palestinian and pro-Israeli groups are also active in this area.
The study concludes that the organizers have protected the Olympic Games’ core network particularly well. However, outside the core network, it is realistic that hackers will be able to temporarily disrupt some of the Olympic Games’ network services.
Source: Stern
I am Pierce Boyd, a driven and ambitious professional working in the news industry. I have been writing for 24 Hours Worlds for over five years, specializing in sports section coverage. During my tenure at the publication, I have built an impressive portfolio of articles that has earned me a reputation as an experienced journalist and content creator.
