The Paris Olympics is set to begin next month, and French authorities are expressing concerns over potential cyber attacks and dissemination of false information. In light of this, the United States government has announced its assistance to France.
The assistance includes intelligence sharing between the U.S. and France and direct network support. Given the history of malicious interference related to Russia in previous Olympic Games over the past decade, these efforts are becoming increasingly crucial.
A spokesperson for the U.S. Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA), Scott McConnell, stated in a press release that CISA is collaborating with other U.S. government departments, private entities, and international partners to provide cybersecurity support ahead of the opening of the Summer Olympics on July 26.
McConnell added that CISA personnel will be part of a joint operation between the U.S. government and Paris to offer their expertise.
CISA is not the only government agency involved. According to Politico citing a State Department spokesperson who preferred to remain anonymous, the operation will be led by the department’s Bureau of Diplomatic Security and will operate “around the clock,” with “numerous U.S. cross-agency partners” involved throughout the event.
Meanwhile, France is actively preparing for the imminent threats it may face. As reported by Politico, the French National Cybersecurity Agency (ANSSI) has been preparing for the cybersecurity threats facing the Olympics over the past two years, and the Paris Olympic Committee is also bracing for potential attacks during the opening ceremony, which is a highlight of the Games.
Victor Ploué, a media relations officer from the French National Cybersecurity Agency, explained that preparations include identifying approximately 500 companies and organizations involved in hosting the Olympics, which require some form of protection to defend against cyber and physical threats.
Ploué stated, “The Olympics may attract the attention of various malicious cyber actors who may try to profit from these activities to increase their visibility and promote their agendas. They may attempt to tarnish the reputation of the games and the host country or gain economic benefits through extortion.”
In June, a recent report from Microsoft’s Threat Analysis Center revealed that Russia is launching a massive disinformation campaign to tarnish the reputation of the International Olympic Committee and create panic by spreading false information about potential violent incidents at this summer’s Paris Olympics.
Last month, Mandiant, a subsidiary of Google Cloud, released a separate report expressing concerns about the threats facing the Summer Olympics and “high confidence” that network espionage activities, hacking operations, and dissemination of false information related to Russia will target Paris.
While Russia has been banned from participating in the 2024 Paris Olympics by the International Olympic Committee, some Russian athletes can still compete as individuals.