Olympic Games Special: How to protect cybersecurity of sports organizations

Millions of spectators from around the world will flock to Paris this summer to attend the 2024 Olympic Games.  The UEFA European Football Championship and the America's Cup are also taking place this summer, giving us weeks of massive sporting events on both sides of the Atlantic. 

These are undoubtedly dates that many people, including cybercriminals, look forward to. The large crowds of people at a single event leads to the accumulation of huge amounts of valuable data and information. Now, even before the Olympic torch is lit, reports are emerging of cyberattacks targeting the vast attack surface of the Games. Take the Olympic Destroyer malware in 2018, for example, which affected Wi-Fi at the Pyeongchang Olympic Stadium and press room, the Winter Olympics website and knocked some TV systems offline....  

Also during the London Olympics, 212 million cyberattack attempts were detected, while in Tokyo there were 450 million. These figures are concerning, to say it mildly, for the hundreds of companies involved in the organization and hosting of these sporting events.  

4 tips to avoid cyberattacks on sporting events 

It is always important to have a robust cybersecurity system in place to protect companies from potential attacks but even more so during these busy times. We set out several key ways to strengthen the cybersecurity of sports organizations during the crunch weeks for them:  

1. Endpoint protection (mobile or otherwise)  
2. Use a VPN to hide your traffic on untrusted networks 
3. Be suspicious of app downloads and onsite QR codes 
4. Only download the official Paris Olympic apps 

In addition to these tips, which are essential for increasing the protection of sports organizations during these key weeks, there are additional measures to enhance this protocol even further: 

• Training for all employees: the organizers often expand their staff to cope with a greater workload before a large sporting event is held. Cybersecurity training should not be neglected to ensure good practices are implemented by all and to prevent misuse of the company's networks and devices that generate vulnerabilities and could later lead to an attack.   
• Perform a security audit: performing a security audit and vulnerability assessment prior to a large event can be decisive when it comes to falling victim to an attempted attack. By detecting weaknesses and addressing them beforehand, serious cybersecurity incidents can be averted.  

Cybersecurity is already important for any organization at any time of year but it is an even higher priority and more critical at this time of year for mass sports events. Reinforcing security systems is key so that everyone from organizations to athletes and the general public, can enjoy these events safely.