Paris Olympics should brace for cyberattacks from Russia, experts say

A Finnish cybersecurity firm expects the Paris Olympics to become the target of an increasing number of cyberattacks, especially by Russian actors, according to a new study released on Monday.

Experts at Finland's cybersecurity firm WithSecure said the organizers of this year's Summer Olympics held in Paris should brace for a higher risk of cyberattacks compared to previous editions "due to geopolitical turbulence."

In their report, WithSecure point to Russia as the most likely source of cyberattacks, with the experts saying they have identified three groups intent on disrupting the Games: state-sponsored actors, private "hacktivists" and common cybercriminals.

"Russian state actors almost certainly pose the greatest threat to a successful and seamless Olympic Games, wielding both capability and intent to undermine both the Olympics and France," the report said.

Russian and Belarusian atheletes are only allowed to compete in the Paris Olympics under a neutral flag due to Moscow's war on Ukraine. They have also been excluded from participating in the opening ceremony and are not allowed to have any connection to the military.

WithSecure also sees an increased risk for cyberattacks from state-sponsored actors in China, North Korea and Iran. The experts also pointed to hacker groups and organized cybercriminals outside Russia as a potential risk factor.

The attackers' primary goal will be to breach the organizers' networks to encrypt data to disrupt the event, the experts believe.

Hacktivist collectives, usually forming in Telegram channels, often focus on denial-of-service attacks, flooding websites with requests to bring them down.

"Hacktivist groups have arisen around all poles of current conflicts," the experts said. "Pro-Russian, Pro-Ukrainian, Pro-Palestinian and Pro-Israeli groups are conducting near constant denial of service (predominantly), and hack-and-leak operations."

According to the study, the Olympics' core networks are well protected against cyberattacks, meaning the risk of disruption is low to moderate.

"However the risk to other networks operating externally, but still in the sphere of the Olympics is moderate."