Paris 2024 Olympics Faced Over 140 Cyberattacks, No Disruptions Reported

 

During the Paris 2024 Olympics, French authorities reported over 140 cyberattacks, but none of these incidents disrupted the sporting events. The French government’s cybersecurity agency, Anssi, maintained a high state of alert throughout the games, anticipating potential threats to the organizing committee, ticketing systems, and transportation infrastructure. Given the scale and visibility of the Olympics, cybercriminals often see such events as prime targets for malicious activities. 

From July 26 to August 11, Anssi recorded 119 reports of low-impact “security events.” In addition, there were 22 more serious incidents where “a malicious actor” successfully infiltrated a victim’s information system. These attacks targeted government entities, as well as infrastructure related to sports, transportation, and telecommunications. Despite these incidents, the overall impact on the Olympic Games was minimal. Anssi noted that about one-third of the incidents involved system downtime, with half of these caused by denial-of-service (DoS) attacks. 

These attacks are designed to overwhelm servers with traffic, rendering them inaccessible. Other cyber incidents included attempted system compromises, data breaches, and other forms of malicious activity. However, Anssi emphasized that all cyber events during the Olympics were generally of low impact, highlighting the effectiveness of the cybersecurity measures in place. A significant cyberattack occurred in early August, when ransomware targeted the Grand Palais, an Olympic venue, along with approximately 40 other museums across France. 

Ransomware attacks typically exploit security flaws to encrypt and block access to computer systems, demanding a ransom payment to restore access. Despite the attack, Anssi confirmed that none of the information systems critical to the Olympic Games were affected. While the Paris Olympics experienced fewer cyberattacks than the Tokyo 2021 Games, which reported 450 million cyber operations, the threat level remained high. In fact, Marie-Rose Bruno, director of technology and information systems for the Paris Games, had anticipated “eight to ten times more” cyberattacks than those seen in Tokyo. 

The Paris 2024 Olympics faced a considerable number of cyber incidents, but thanks to robust cybersecurity measures, these attacks had little to no impact on the events. The proactive efforts of French authorities and cybersecurity experts ensured that the games proceeded smoothly, without major disruptions to the athletes or spectators.