French cyberwarriors set to put defences against hackers to test during Olympics

Similar to the Olympic athletes, the cyberwarriors who are important for the Paris Games‘ success are training hard for the event.

They asked nice hackers to test their online security, like boxers practicing with partners to get ready for a big fight. They have looked carefully at their opponents’ strengths, tactics, and weaknesses. These people could be teenagers who show off, criminals who hack into computer systems and demand money, or Russian soldiers who have a history of doing harmful things online.

Unlike the 10,500 athletes going to Paris in July for the Olympics, the cybersecurity engineers working on the Games want to avoid attention. For them, the biggest achievement will be completing the Olympics and Paralympics without any big problems. This would mean that their digital defenses are strong enough to stop any attempts to shut down important computer and information systems for the Games.

Jérémy Couture, who leads the Paris Games organizers’ cybersecurity hub, hopes that at the Olympics, there won’t be any talk about technology and cybersecurity. This would mean that they are not a problem. The job of finding, studying and dealing with cyberdangers is really important for the Games to be successful, so the event organizers are keeping its location a secret.

The people responsible for stopping cyberattacks during the Games expect to be kept busy by hackers this summer, but they don’t want to share too many details about their work. These people could be cybercriminals, teenagers looking for thrill, or Russian military intelligence with a history of causing damage in cyberattacks.

Goals for the Games include more than just the events. They also include important things like transportation and supply systems.

Attackers might be activists who hack to make a political point, or they could be people trying to steal money through cyber extortion. These days, it’s hard to tell if a cyber attacker is working for a government or is simply a hacker activist.

Most dangerous online enemies

Some of the most dangerous cyber enemies are countries that want to embarrass France and the International Olympic Committee by using their proven hacking skills to cause trouble and cost them money. Russia is at the top of the list of people who might have done it.

Due to Russia’s war in Ukraine, the Olympic organizers have stopped Russia from participating in team events at the Paris Games. Some individual Russians will be allowed to compete as neutral players. Russia is upset with France because they are giving weapons and training to Ukraine. Also, France is one of Russia’s biggest critics in Europe.

Vincent Strubel, the person in charge of France’s national cybersecurity agency, called the level of cyber threats facing the Games very serious and unlike anything seen before.

“There will be computer attacks during the Games and the Paralympics,” Strubel said at a meeting on Friday. “Some people won’t take it seriously. ” Some people will take it seriously, but it won’t make a difference in the Games. And maybe some things will be important and could affect the Games.

He said the agency has trained a lot and more than ever before, so things will go well. “I believe we have been able to outsmart the attackers. ”

Strubel said Russia sometimes attacks France, but it’s not helpful to only focus on Russia. “We are getting ready for everything. ”

Western countries blame a very aggressive part of Russia’s GRU military intelligence agency called Sandworm for using a harmful computer program called “Olympic Destroyer” to mess up the start of the 2018 Winter Games in South Korea. This group is accused of causing problems for Ukraine’s power grid and creating a virus that cost over $10 billion in damages.

The cybersecurity teams in Paris are talking to technicians who worked in Pyeongchang to learn from their experiences.

The cybersecurity company Outpost24, based in Sweden, gave a positive review of Paris’ preparations for the Games in a report this week. However, they also found some weaknesses in the online infrastructure for the Games. The rating was like winning a silver medal, not quite a gold.

The report said that just like pickpockets and people who sell fake tickets target tourists, cybercriminals will also be aware of more people going online for the Paris 2024 games and will try to take advantage of it.