The Top Cyber Threats Facing the Milan 2026 Winter Olympics

The Olympic Games are one of the few global moments where nearly everyone is watching the same thing at the same time. Athletes, fans, sponsors, broadcasters, volunteers, and organizers all converge on a single digital ecosystem. While everyone is focused on the events, the many websites, apps, ticketing platforms, social channels, and travel services are working overtime behind the scenes.

That level of attention, and the vast digital infrastructure behind it, is exactly what makes the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics so compelling. And not just for sports fans.

Major international sporting events consistently attract cybercriminals looking to exploit trust, excitement, and urgency. The threats aren’t always dramatic or destructive. In many cases, they’re quieter: compromised accounts, lookalike domains, fake ticket offers, and stolen credentials waiting for the right moment to be used.

The ZeroFox Intelligence team recently released an assessment of the Olympic Winter Games Milano Cortina 2026 to help organizations understand the evolving cyber and physical threat landscape ahead of the event. Here, you’ll find a summary of the most significant cyber threats to the Milan 2026 Winter Olympics, along with what organizations can do now to stay ahead of them.  

1. Credential Compromise and Account Takeover Risk

The threat

Large, distributed events like the Olympics rely on dozens of digital platforms, from official websites to partner portals and third-party services. That complexity creates opportunity. ZeroFox intelligence identified exposed credentials associated with Olympic-related infrastructure, including session data that could be reused by attackers.

Compromised credentials are rarely the end goal. They are the starting point. Once attackers gain access, they can move laterally, impersonate trusted users, or launch follow-up phishing and fraud campaigns that look legitimate because they are coming from real accounts.

Cyber threat prediction

As Milan 2026 approaches, the cybersecurity risk shifts from passive exposure to active exploitation. Credentials harvested months in advance are often used closer to the event, when heightened activity helps malicious logins blend into normal traffic. Attackers are likely to test access quietly, then escalate when visibility is highest.

ZeroFox recommendation

Organizations supporting the Games should enforce strong authentication controls, including multifactor authentication across all Olympic-related systems. Continuous monitoring for credential exposure and anomalous access patterns is critical. ZeroFox helps surface compromised credentials early and provides the context needed to prioritize which accounts pose real risk, not just theoretical exposure.

2. Brand and Domain Impersonation

The threat

Olympic branding is powerful and instantly recognizable, which makes it a favorite target for impersonation. Lookalike domains and spoofed websites can be used to host phishing pages, fake login portals, or fraudulent offers that appear official at a glance.

These domains often sit idle for weeks or months. Their value increases as public interest spikes and fans search for schedules, tickets, and travel information.

Cyber threat prediction

As the Games draw closer, impersonation domains are likely to be weaponized at scale. Expect phishing campaigns targeting spectators, volunteers, sponsors, and even internal staff, using Olympic-themed language to falsify credibility.

ZeroFox recommendation

Proactive brand and domain monitoring is essential. ZeroFox identifies suspicious domain registrations early, validates which ones present real risk, and disrupts them through coordinated takedowns. Pairing technical controls with clear guidance on official Olympic URLs can help reduce the success rate of impersonation campaigns.

3. Ticketing, Travel, and Accommodation Scams

The threat

Every Olympic Games brings a wave of fake ticket sales, fraudulent travel packages, and scam accommodation listings. These schemes don’t require sophisticated malware. They rely on timing, emotion, and trust.

Scammers often operate across social media, search ads, and fake storefronts, impersonating legitimate vendors or offering deals that seem just believable enough. The example below shows how these scams can affect real consumers well before the Games even begin.

Cyber threat prediction

With millions of fans planning travel to Italy, financially motivated threat actors are likely to scale these scams aggressively. Expect increasingly polished campaigns that combine fake domains, social posts, and payment fraud, especially during major ticket release windows.

ZeroFox recommendation

Organizations should monitor social, web, and marketplace channels for emerging scam activity tied to Olympic branding. ZeroFox surfaces these threats early and coordinates rapid takedowns to reduce dwell time. Public-facing organizations should also reinforce guidance on how fans can verify legitimate ticket and travel sources. Fans should purchase tickets only through the official Milano Cortina 2026 Olympics website and use the official Olympic Games 2026 mobile app to store tickets and required passes.

4. Infostealers and Botnet-Linked Data Exposure

The threat

The ZeroFox Intelligence team identified infostealer logs and botnet data associated with users interacting with Olympic-related services. While not indicative of an active campaign on their own, these exposures increase long-term risk. Infostealers quietly collect credentials, cookies, and system data, feeding criminal marketplaces and botnet ecosystems that can be activated later.

Cyber threat prediction

These data sets may be leveraged for credential stuffing, automated account abuse, or broader fraud operations as the Games approach. Even low-volume exposure can become high-impact when combined with other Olympic-themed attacks.

ZeroFox recommendation

Continuous monitoring of dark web and criminal channels is critical for identifying when passive exposure turns into active targeting. ZeroFox correlates infostealer data with brand, domain, and account intelligence, helping teams understand which exposures matter and when to act.

5. AI-Enhanced and Mobile-Focused Attacks

The threat

Mobile devices are the primary interface for fans during the Olympics. Schedules, tickets, maps, transit, and live updates all flow through smartphones. That makes mobile users an attractive target.

At the same time, attackers are increasingly using AI to generate convincing phishing messages, fake apps, and synthetic content that mimics official Olympic communications.

Cyber threat prediction

As Milan 2026 nears, expect a rise in AI-assisted phishing and malicious mobile applications posing as official Olympic tools. These campaigns will likely be highly personalized and difficult to spot without behavioral analysis.

ZeroFox recommendation

Organizations should extend threat monitoring to mobile ecosystems and watch for fraudulent apps, impersonation campaigns, and AI-generated lures. ZeroFox combines automated detection with analyst validation to identify emerging threats early and disrupt them before they reach scale.

Staying Ahead of Cyber Threats at Milan 2026

The biggest cyber threats to the Milan 2026 Winter Olympics are not hypothetical. They are already forming quietly across domains, credentials, and criminal marketplaces. The difference between disruption and damage often comes down to timing: discovering threats early, validating what matters, and acting before they’re fully operational.

That’s where ZeroFox operates. By continuously discovering exposures, validating risk in context, and disrupting threats at the source, organizations can support a global event of this scale without becoming part of the story.

Request a demo to see how ZeroFox helps organizations identify, validate, and disrupt external threats tied to major global events. Let’s make sure the athletes’ performances are the only surprising thing at the Olympics this year.