2 days to go until the Olympics: what about cyber attacks?

With the Olympic Games only two days away, the organizing authorities are on the alert for cyber threats that could paralyze the event and impact many businesses this summer.

Frantz RUGUL, Director of Information Security and Head of IT Security, remains lucid on the subject: "We're not going to escape it." According to some experts, the number of attacks could be 8 to 10 times higher than for the Tokyo Games in 2021, reaching a total of 4 billion attacks.

Today, the organization of the Games relies entirely on technology, making subcontractors particularly vulnerable to leaks of sensitive documents and hacking. The techniques employed by cybercriminals are varied and often insidious: phishing, ransomware, denial-of-service attacks, cyberespionage, hacking into social networking accounts. Mohammed ROUMEDIANE, Chairman of the Ziwit Group, Europe's leading cybersecurity company, points out that "all companies [...] whether they are working this summer or not" are at risk.

In France, 40% of cyber-attack victims are SMEs and ETIs, according to ANSSI (Agence nationale de la sécurité des systèmes d'information).

It's important to remember that such attacks have happened before. In Vancouver in 2010, Sochi in 2014, and Pyeongchang in 2018, where a major cyberattack made the opening ceremony of the Winter Olympics almost impossible.

Particular attention should therefore be paid to the opening ceremony of the Paris Olympics, given the high stakes involved. With the world's attention focused on Paris, this represents an unprecedented opportunity for hackers.

This event is also an excellent opportunity to remind businesses and individuals to guard against attacks by adopting various security measures, such as using strong passwords, installing antivirus and firewall protection, monitoring infrastructures, and regular audits and backups. Finally, it is crucial to refrain from opening unverified e-mail attachments.

Let us be vigilant and prepared to ensure that these Olympic Games are celebrated in complete safety.