Paris Olympics Brace for Unprecedented Cyberattacks
This year's Paris Olympics are bracing for an unprecedented cybersecurity challenge. Organisers anticipate immense pressure on the sporting event this summer, according to a Reuters report.
Organised crime groups, activists, and state actors will pose the primary threats during the Olympics, scheduled to be held from July 26 to August 11. The Paralympics will then take place from August 28 to September 8.
Paris 2024 organisers, working closely with France's national information security agency (ANSSI) and cybersecurity firms Cisco and Eviden, aim to mitigate the impact of cyberattacks.
"No Olympics is immune to cyberattacks, but we're working to minimise their impact on the Games," said Vincent Strubel, director general of ANSSI.
"We've tested all 500 venues, competition sites, and the systems of local organising teams," Strubel added.
He expressed confidence that Paris 2024, which will operate from a cybersecurity operations centre at an undisclosed location, will be prepared.
"The Olympics are facing an unprecedented level of threat, but we've also undertaken an unprecedented amount of preparatory work. Therefore, I believe we are one step ahead of the attackers," Strubel said.
Paris 2024 has enlisted "ethical hackers" to test its systems and has leveraged artificial intelligence to aid in threat sorting.
"We expect the number of cybersecurity incidents to be tenfold compared to Tokyo (in 2021)," said Franz Regul, CIO of Paris 2024.
"In the realm of cybersecurity, four years is tantamount to a century," explained Eric Greffier, head of partnerships at CISCO.
A computer virus called "Olympic Destroyer" was used in an attack on the opening ceremony of the 2018 Pyeongchang Winter Olympics.
While Moscow has denied any involvement, the US Department of Justice stated in 2020 that it had indicted six hackers affiliated with Russian intelligence agencies for a series of attacks, including those targeting the Pyeongchang Games.
"We would ideally have a single adversary, but we are monitoring all actors globally. Identifying potential attackers is not our responsibility; that lies with the state," Strubel remarked.
Last month, French President Emmanuel Macron expressed his unwavering belief that Russia would target the Paris Olympics with malicious cyberattacks.
The Games will unfold against a complex global backdrop, including Russia's war in Ukraine and the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. The Hamas movement, a key player in the latter conflict, has been designated a terrorist organisation by the United States and the European Union.
Translation by Iurie Tataru
