When the 2024 Olympics in Paris kick off with the opening ceremony on July 26, a billion viewers are anticipated to tune in remotely, whereas a number of hundred thousand can be readily available to witness the spectacle in particular person. Among the many throngs can be those that search to use this world consideration for malicious functions.
A latest report from cybersecurity agency DataDome estimates that 4 billion cyberattacks can be launched in the course of the video games, primarily focusing on companies in adjoining trade sectors.
Industries within the line of fireside might embrace journey, hospitality, ticketing, retail, media, sports activities betting, monetary companies, social networks, and public sector infrastructure. These assaults will doubtless leverage a variety of methods, starting from refined botnets and ransomware to credential stuffing and account takeovers, social engineering, and different types of on-line fraud.
Vincent Strubel, who heads France’s nationwide cybersecurity company, ANSSI, informed the Related Press that the anticipated cyberthreat ranges focusing on the 2024 Summer time Video games are unprecedented. The company is bracing for a torrent of malicious exercise far exceeding the estimated 450 million cyberattacks that hit the Tokyo Olympics infrastructure in 2020.
“There can be cyberattacks in the course of the Video games and the Paralympics,” Strubel mentioned at a briefing in Might. “Some received’t be critical. Some can be critical however received’t have an effect on the Video games. And maybe there can be some which are critical and liable to have an effect on the Video games.”
Cybersecurity Preparedness for the 2024 Olympics
“The Olympics current a singular problem as a result of sheer quantity of digital interactions,” warned Marie Vandewalle, a menace analyst at cybersecurity agency Kaspersky, including, “Companies should spend money on superior menace detection and response techniques to remain forward of cybercriminals.”
Jake Moore from ESET, one other safety software program supplier, emphasised the necessity for “multi-layered safety approaches, together with person schooling and real-time monitoring.”
DataDome, which has headquarters in France and the USA, is already providing French corporations a premium model of its new SOC (safety operations heart) monitoring service, to assist counter the Olympic-sized menace quantity.
“The 2024 Olympics interval guarantees to be essential when it comes to cybersecurity,” famous DataDome Chief Technique Officer Benjamin Barrier. “The cyberthreat can be appreciable as a result of the Video games will entice the eye of the entire world to France and characterize a ‘golden’ alternative for cybercriminals to return and disrupt the celebration. DataDome’s SOC service permits cybersecurity groups to detect and remediate threats earlier than they trigger important impression to enterprise operations,” he mentioned.
Further techniques companies can undertake to assist deter and defend towards anticipated assaults embrace deploying superior bot detection and mitigation methods, enhancing account safety with multi-factor authentication (MFA), and defending digital advertising and marketing investments towards advert fraud.
Understanding the menace panorama and implementing sturdy safety options is essential for companies to navigate large-scale occasions just like the 2024 Olympics unscathed. Making ready now with superior safety methods can scale back dangers and shield companies — and their prospects — from being victimized by potential cyberthreats throughout this high-profile world occasion.
