Tensions over the Summer Olympics and the war in Ukraine are likely to make Paris an attractive target for a variety of hacks, including from hostile countries, a senior French cybersecurity official said on Monday.
Vincent Strbel, head of France's cybersecurity agency known as ANSSI, said in an interview that the Olympics could be linked to hostile countries, ransomware-wielding criminals and Russian-linked “hacktivists” who use their computer skills to spread political messages. '', he said.
Strubel and other French officials are in Washington this week to consult with cybersecurity officials. The Paris Olympics will be held from July 26th to August 11th.
The opening ceremony of the 2018 Olympic Games in Pyeongchang, South Korea, was marred by a cyberattack that disrupted the internet. Security companies quickly blamed Russia and the Fancy Bear hacking group, which has ties to Moscow's intelligence services, for the attack.
Strubel said the Paris opening ceremony could also be a target for cyberattacks by state actors. Without naming any countries, French President Emmanuel Macron said he had “no doubt” that Russia would try to target the Paris Olympics. Details were not disclosed.
Russian athletes will take part in Paris, but they will not be competing under their country's flag. Russia was banned from participating in the Olympics for illegally annexing Ukrainian territory.
“The geopolitical situation, particularly the war in Ukraine, will be a factor in the threat assessment for the tournament. Action by state actors is a very real possibility and we are preparing for it,” Strubel said. Stated. “But it's also a real factor from a hacktivism perspective. A lot of actors these days are pro-Russian.”
Strubel said cyberattacks by Russia-based hackers have increased since the Ukraine war began two years ago. Most of these attacks are relatively simple and aim to temporarily take down a website or server.
“Over the past two years, whenever France has taken a pro-Ukrainian political stance, there have been numerous denial-of-service attacks targeting French institutions,” Strubel said.
In addition to the possibility of state-led or state-aligned hacking operations, France is also bracing for ransomware attacks against companies and organizations. France, like the United States, has been hit by a wave of ransomware attacks in recent years, affecting local governments and hospitals.
Strubel said such criminal activity will likely increase during the convention.
“We expect cybercrime and organized crime,” he said. “For those looking to make money, the Olympics could be like Black Friday every day for two weeks. For any company expecting to do a lot of business during the Olympics, the pressure to pay the ransom will be It will continue to rise.”
For the past two years, sports federations, stadiums and local authorities in areas where events are held have been working with ANSSI on security issues. They also do training to improve their reactions.
The goal, Strubel said, is to prevent the worst attacks on the most critical infrastructure and to train others to prevent minor attacks from escalating into catastrophic events.
Strubel said the organization will seek to obtain information about actual and potential attacks during the Olympics to counter panic and misinformation.
“We can't expect there to be no cyberattacks during the tournament. There will be cyberattacks,” he said. “Part of that responsibility is to provide timely information to the media and international partners about what is actually happening to avoid similar panic.”
