ZeroFox Intelligence Assessment - Physical and Cyber Threats to Olympic Games Paris 2024

Product Serial: A-2024-07-17a

TLP:CLEAR

In this Intelligence Assessment, ZeroFox researchers analyze the upcoming Paris Olympic Games, including potential cyber and physical security threats.

Standing Intelligence Requirements

Geopolitical and Physical GEO

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Executive Summary

The Olympic Games Paris 2024 (also referred to as the Olympics, Paris 2024, and the Games) is a highly visible, worldwide event that could be targeted by a variety of actors, both domestic and international, to bring attention to their causes. Physical disruption via strikes or protests are the major on-the-ground threat to the Games; cyberattacks sponsored by Russia are the major cybersecurity threat.

Domestically, multiple unions have threatened strikes, anticipating that their local and national governments will feel sufficient pressure to hold a successful Paris 2024 that they will quickly give in to demands. The unions’ resolve is reinforced by the recent French elections, in which a left-leaning coalition known to be supportive of workers won a plurality in the National Assembly. Local protest groups have also called for action ahead of and during the Games. These include organized campaigns by activists during events and disorganized Paris-area opposition to the Games. The polarization in French society—heightened by recent elections and protest movements—creates fertile ground for further social unrest during the Games and makes it very likely there will be disruptions.

Internationally, both the war in Ukraine and the Israel-Hamas conflict have the potential to inspire protests and disruptions by nation-state-level actors. In particular, the Russian Federation has a history of targeting the Olympics with cyberattacks as revenge for its formal exclusion from the Games (such as in the Pyeongchang Winter Olympics). With Russian athletes once again slated to compete under the “Olympic Athletes from Russia” banner and the added factor of France’s continued support for Ukraine, Kremlin-aligned hackers are likely to take aim at the cyber infrastructure of Paris 2024.

Lastly, pure financial crimes—including internet scams and street-level petty crime—will very likely operate on a heightened level during the Games. Tourists in Paris should be wary of their surroundings and conduct due diligence on websites and applications they use related to the Games.