Dark Web Shows Cybercriminals Ready for Olympics. Are You

Major sporting events like the World Cup, Super Bowl, and Wimbledon attract millions, even billions, of viewers. Argentina's shootout win over France in the final game of the Qatar 2022 World Cup reached a global audience of 1.5 billion viewers. And the Olympics, starting later this month in Paris, is the biggest of them all-with the 2020 Tokyo Olympics having attracted a worldwide audience of over 3 billion viewers.

These events are also prime opportunities for cybercriminals. Over the past decade, the number of cyberattacks targeting major events has surged, increasing from 212 million documented attacks at the London 2012 Games to a staggering 4.4 billion at the Tokyo 2020 Games. These attacks often have direct financial motives, such as scams, digital fraud, or the acquisition of valuable data from attendees, viewers, and sponsors. In their excitement, eager fans often overlook potential risks when purchasing tickets, arranging accommodations, or buying memorabilia, making them easy targets for cybercriminals.

Others, desperate to view specific events, are enticed by malicious websites offering free access, only to have their devices compromised or personal data stolen. And with the world's media focused on the event, criminals with a political agenda are looking for a large audience for their message by disrupting a significant site or knocking critical services offline.

Threat Actors Targeting the Paris 2024 Games

According to a new FortiGuard Labs analysis based on threat intelligence provided by FortiRecon, this year's Olympics have been a target for a growing number of cybercriminals for over a year. Using publicly available information and proprietary analysis, this report provides a comprehensive view of planned attacks, such as third-party breaches, infostealers, phishing, and malware, including ransomware.

FortiGuard Labs has observed a significant increase in resources being gathered for the Paris Olympic Games, especially those targeting French-speaking users, French government agencies and businesses, and French infrastructure providers. Beginning the second half of 2023, we saw a surge in darknet activity targeting France. This 80% to 90% increase has remained consistent across 2H 2023 and 1H 2024. The prevalence and sophistication of these threats are a testament to cybercriminals' planning and execution, with the dark web serving as a hub for their activities.