State-sponsored actors
Paris Olympic officials are anticipating and preparing for cyber threats during the Games, including attacks by state-sponsored threat actors. (See Source 1 in the Appendix)Cyberattacks at major global sporting events are not uncommon, and the Olympics have been a frequent target of state-sponsored hacking groups. In an attack known as the “Olympic Destroyer,” a hacking unit affiliated with Russia’s military intelligence agency, the GRU, disrupted the PyeongChang 2018 Winter Olympics by targeting organizers’ internet infrastructure, shutting down the 2018 Winter Olympics website, grounding news broadcast drones, and preventing spectators from printing ticket reservations, ultimately preventing spectators from attending the sporting events. (See source 2 in the appendix)Additionally, the UK government revealed that a series of Russian-backed cyber attacks were planned ahead of the postponement of the 2020 Tokyo Olympic and Paralympic Games.
State-sponsored cyber threat actors from Russia, China, Iran and North Korea have sophisticated capabilities that could cause disruptions to internet networks, digital ticketing systems and scanners, and Olympic timing systems. Russia is banned from participating in the 2024 Paris Olympics as a country, but Russian and Belarusian nationals can participate in the Olympics as Individual Neutral Athletes (AIN). (See source 3 in the appendix)“The ban could potentially increase the ability of Russian state-sponsored actors to launch cyberattacks against Paris’ critical infrastructure and Olympic targets. Historically, state-sponsored cyber threat actors have targeted host countries, Olympic associations, and other relevant sports organizations to discredit rival nations and to collect and leak harmful or fabricated information.”
