Blog: We Wanted to Talk About Cyberattacks During the Olympics, but We Have Nothing to Say
Blog: We Wanted to Talk About Cyberattacks During the Olympics, but We Have Nothing to Say
Author: Eliora
Published on
We thought we'd be able to talk about the Paris 2024 Olympic Games for days, with all the cyberattacks we would have repelled, but... we have nothing to tell you!
A French Success
While experts feared large-scale cyberattacks throughout the Olympic Games, no major attack was recorded, marking a significant achievement for the French cybersecurity ecosystem. In a time when cyber threats are increasing and international events are prime targets, protecting the Olympics was an exemplary success. At Patrowl, none of our clients reported any attacks, thanks to their ability to secure their external attack surface and protect themselves against potential risks.
Exceptional Preparations
Global events like the Olympic Games are often prime targets for cybercriminals for political, financial, or ideological reasons. The Tokyo 2021 Games, for example, were preceded by a series of cyberattacks targeting infrastructure, sponsors, and suppliers. This set a high-threat environment for the 2024 Games, not only for the companies directly involved in organizing them but also for others associated with the event. To prepare for these threats, France implemented an unprecedented series of cybersecurity measures involving both public and private actors. The National Agency for Information Systems Security (ANSSI) played a central role in establishing a robust security framework, built around five main areas: • Improving knowledge of the cyber threats targeting the Games; • Securing critical information systems; • Protecting sensitive data; • Raising awareness within the Olympic ecosystem; • Preparing to intervene in case of a cyberattack affecting the Games.
Key Partnerships
Patrowl offered its services free of charge to the Civil Protection, which was responsible for setting up first-aid stations at about 20 sites during the events, to protect their exposed assets. With our turnkey solution, Civil Protection regained visibility over its thousands of online-exposed assets and continuously secured its external attack surface throughout the Olympic Games. Thanks to its hyper-automation, the Patrowl platform saved valuable time, which could be reinvested in securing the physical event. In addition to local efforts, international cooperation was key to success. Partner countries and international organizations such as Europol and Interpol provided their expertise and resources to secure the Games. This global collaboration helped to share intelligence on threats and anticipate potential attack vectors.
Lessons for the Future
France's preparation during the Paris 2024 Olympic Games has proven the importance of security measures in protecting against cyber threats. Raising awareness among businesses and implementing tools to protect their external attack surface reinforced existing defenses, helping to avoid reputational or financial incidents.
It seems that when you invest the necessary human and financial resources to protect information systems, it works.
So yes, at Patrowl we have nothing to say about the Olympic Games... but we call that a success !
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