The opening ceremony of the 2024 Olympics will take place on July 26. One billion viewers will tune in from around the world, and several hundred thousands more will be there to watch the spectacle. The crowds will include those who are looking to use this attention for their own malicious ends.
Recent Studies Have Affected the Rate of report DataDome, a cybersecurity firm, estimates that during the games 4 billion cyberattacks are likely to be launched. These attacks will primarily target businesses in adjacent industries.
The industries that could be affected include travel, hospitality and ticketing, retail, the media, sports betting, finance, social networks, public infrastructure, and financial services. These attacks may use a range of methods, including sophisticated botnets, ransomware, credential-stuffing, account takeovers, and social engineering.
Vincent Strubel is the head of France’s national cybersecurity agency ANSSI. He told the Associated Press The expected levels of cyberthreats against the Summer Games in 2024 are unprecedented. The agency is preparing for a torrential malicious activity, far surpassing the estimated 450,000,000 attacks on Tokyo Olympics infrastructure in 2010.
Strubel told a May briefing that “there will be cyberattacks” during the Games and Paralympics. Some won’t be severe. Some will have a serious impact but not on the Games. There will also be some serious incidents that could have an impact on Games.
Cybersecurity preparedness for the Olympics 2024
Marie Vandewalle is a threat analyst with cybersecurity firm Kaspersky“Businesses need to invest in advanced threat detection systems and response systems if they want to keep up with cybercriminals.”
Jake Moore ESETAnother security software provider, also emphasized the importance of “multi-layered security strategies, including user education, real-time monitoring, and security tools.”
DataDome has offices in France and the United States. It offers French companies access to a database of over 500,000 French companies. premium version of its new SOC Monitoring service (security operation center) to counter the Olympic-sized volume of threats.
Benjamin Barrier, DataDome’s Chief Strategist, noted that 2024 will be a crucial period for cybersecurity. “The cyberthreat will be considerable because the Games will attract the attention of the whole world to France and represent a ‘golden’ opportunity for cybercriminals to come and disrupt the party. DataDome’s SOC allows cybersecurity teams detect and remediate cyber threats before they have a significant impact on business operations,” said he.
Other tactics that businesses can use to deter and defend themselves against attacks include using advanced bot detection and mitigation techniques, improving account security through multi-factor authenticaiton (MFA), as well as protecting their digital marketing investment against adfraud.
It is important for businesses to understand the threat environment and implement robust solutions in order to avoid being affected by large-scale events such as the 2024 Olympic Games. Preparing now with advanced security strategies can reduce risks and protect businesses — and their customers — from being victimized by potential cyberthreats during this high-profile global event.