As the world prepares for the highly anticipated 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris, a new challenge has emerged at the forefront of the organizing committee’s concerns: the looming threat of cyberattacks. In the spartan operations center of the Paris Olympic headquarters, Franz Regul, the team leader responsible for warding off cyber threats, is bracing for the inevitable.
“We will be attacked,” Regul said with certainty, echoing the sentiments of security teams around the world responsible for safeguarding major events. Unlike companies and governments that plan for the possibility of an attack, Regul and his team know exactly when to expect the worst – as the Olympics draw closer, the number of hacking attempts and the level of risk will rise exponentially.
The threat to the Olympics has only grown since the 2018 Pyeongchang Winter Games, where a successful cyberattack nearly derailed the event before it could begin. The Paris 2024 cybersecurity team expects to face eight to 12 times the number of attempted “security events” compared to the previous Summer Games in Tokyo in 2021, which reported 450 million such attempts.
A Rigorous Training Regimen
Experts warn that the array of potential attackers is diverse, ranging from criminal groups seeking lucrative ransoms to nation-states aiming to disrupt the games. Among the biggest concerns is Russia, whose team has been barred from the Olympics following the 2022 invasion of Ukraine. France’s deteriorating relationship with Russia has led to accusations of Moscow’s attempts to undermine the games through disinformation campaigns and other malicious activities.
The Paris Organizing Committee has been conducting “war games” in conjunction with the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and technology partners to combat these threats. These exercises involve hiring ethical hackers to attack the systems in place for the games, and offering “bug bounties” to those who uncover vulnerabilities.
The cybersecurity team has also implemented measures to train staff on identifying phishing scams and other attempts to compromise the organization’s systems. However, Regul acknowledges that the sheer volume of attacks expected is daunting, with millions more attempts anticipated as the games draw near.
Failure Is Not An Option
Ciaran Martin, a former chief executive of Britain’s national cybersecurity center, warns that the potential targets for disruption are wide-ranging, from event scheduling and public broadcasts to ticketing systems. “Imagine if all athletes are there on time, but the system scanning iPhones at the gate has gone down,” he said. “Do you go through with a half-empty stadium, or do we delay?”
Such a scenario would be a “failure” for the Olympics, highlighting the delicate balance between security and the seamless execution of the event. Regul and his team are preparing to counter the specific methods employed by nations deemed to pose a “serious cyber threat,” but the overall challenge remains formidable.
The Wrap
As the countdown to the 2024 Paris Olympics continues, the cybersecurity battle has emerged as a critical front in the organizers’ efforts to ensure the success and safety of the Games. The stakes are high, and the threat is real, as the world watches to see if the Paris organizing committee can successfully defend against the growing wave of cyberattacks.
Despite the daunting challenge, Regul and his team remain resolute in protecting the Olympic spectacle, knowing that any breach could lead to a devastating failure that tarnishes the entire event. The 2024 Paris Olympics will serve as a pivotal test of the organizers’ ability to mitigate modern security threats and maintain the integrity of one of the world’s most prestigious sporting events.
Go Deeper -> The Paris Olympics’ One Sure Thing: Cyberattacks – The New York Times
