Federal Centre Warns Major Sporting Events are High Targets for Cybercriminals
The upcoming Paris Olympics and other significant sporting events are attractive targets for cybercriminals and hacktivists seeking financial gain, advocacy, or information theft, according to federal security officials.
A bulletin from the Canadian Centre for Cyber Security, dated May 31, warns that online criminals are likely to attempt extortion against organizations connected to these events. They may also target individuals, including spectators, through tactics like phishing emails and malicious websites.
The bulletin notes that cybercriminals could use offers of discounted goods, free event tickets, or access to live event streams to exploit people. During the Tokyo Olympics, some websites tricked users into providing personal information to access event broadcasts and bombarded them with malicious advertisements.
Large organizations involved in major events gather a vast amount of personal and financial data that cybercriminals might seek to sell on the dark web or use in future scams, the bulletin explains.
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“Smaller businesses near major international sporting events are likely targets for extortion despite not being as commonly targeted as larger organizations,” the bulletin states. This is especially true for the travel and hospitality sectors, which experience increased online traffic during events, leading to more sensitive data being stored.
The bulletin highlights a ransomware attack on an English football club in 2020, which crippled their devices, including email, security cameras, and turnstiles, despite the club refusing to pay the ransom.
Major sporting events also present opportunities for hacktivists to advance their causes through activities like website defacements, denial-of-service attacks, and hack-and-leak tactics, the bulletin mentions. In the case of the 2024 Paris Olympics, domestic hacktivism motivated by anti-government protests in France is a potential threat.
The bulletin also warns of state-sponsored cyberthreat actors targeting high-profile individuals and organizations involved in events to gather sensitive information or foreign intelligence. An incident involving an International Olympic Committee official in Rio de Janeiro illustrates the risk, where credentials were stolen and used by Russia-backed threat actors to access and export data.
“The compromise exposed personal information, eroded trust in WADA, and impacted Canadian athletes, including members of Canada’s women’s soccer team,” the bulletin reports.
The Cyber Centre advises event attendees, athletes, government officials, and associated organizations to take necessary precautions to safeguard their systems.
