Attacks feared

Summer Games targeted by cyber terrorists

The warnings from all security experts ahead of the Olympic Games in Paris this summer sound alarming: there are fears that there will be massive attempts to sow fear of terror and other dangers among visitors, undermine the reputation of the Games and sabotage their progress - including attacks. There are already attempts at destabilization in France, which Paris attributes to Russia.

A few weeks ago, President Emmanuel Macron said that Moscow would "undoubtedly" try to disrupt the Games in various ways. The French security authorities have been preparing for such threats for some time.

"Olympics Has Fallen"
In its threat analysis presented a few days ago, the Microsoft Threat Analysis Center describes two Russian online platforms that have been targeting the Paris Olympics with false information for a year as "Storm-1679" and "Storm-1099". For example, a film called "Olympics Has Fallen" is being distributed, falsely creating the impression that it is a Netflix production. The film is intended to stir up fear of attending the Games due to the alleged threat of violence.

This is also done via numerous video clips on the platforms in French, which suggest a threat to Israeli visitors to the Games due to the Gaza conflict, Microsoft reported. Graffiti allegedly originating from Paris is being distributed, giving the impression that a new version of the terror against Jewish athletes that took place at the 1972 Olympic Games in Munich is imminent in Paris.

In the manipulated news, Macron is presented as a president who boasts about the Games and is indifferent to the social problems of the population.

Image from the fake documentary "Olympics Has Fallen"(Bild: Microsoft)

Revenge for exclusion?
Modern Russia, and the Soviet Union before it, have long been trying to undermine the Olympic Games, according to the analysis. "If they cannot take part in the Games or win them, they try to undermine, defame and degrade international competition in the minds of participants, spectators and the world public."

In addition, Russian President Vladimir Putin's and the Kremlin's displeasure with the International Olympic Committee has increased, as the latter has the power to exclude Russia from the Games. It is to be expected that bots and artificial intelligence will launch campaigns on social media and that there will be disruptive actions by Russian agents on site. The IOC had already reported months ago about targeted Russian campaigns of disinformation and defamation against the organization and President Thomas Bach.

Russia: "Have other priorities"
Russia denies the accusations. In a statement from the Russian embassy in Paris, there was talk of "Russophobic disinformation in the French media". Russia never interferes in France's internal affairs and has other, more important priorities.

In a threat analysis for the Paris Games, the global intelligence company Recorded Future names Iran and Azerbaijan as state actors alongside Russia. The country in the Caucasus has France in its sights because Paris is supporting Armenia in the conflict with Azerbaijan over the Nagorno-Karabakh region.

International attention certain
In connection with the war in Ukraine and the conflict in the Middle East, Recorded Future expects cyberattacks on the Olympic Games because activists want to take advantage of the international attention. Groups with links to the Iranian government are in a position to carry out hacker attacks with more serious consequences.

"Supporters of the Islamic State (IS) and Al-Qaeda in Europe almost certainly intend to attack the Olympic Games in Paris," says the Recorded Future report on the specific threat of attacks. However, due to the security precautions and the terror alert being raised to the highest possible level, successful attacks have become less likely.

The French authorities prepared for the dangers during the Olympic Games - especially cyber attacks - at an early stage. Two years ago, the national cyber security authority ANSSI began drawing up a strategy to defend against attacks. In addition to the protection of players and systems and prevention, the strategy also includes the ability to respond to specific attacks during the Games, the government in Paris announced.