The FBI is warning that hackers may be targeting the upcoming Tokyo 2021 Olympics, although there is no evidence yet to verify these claims.
Specifically, the US intelligence agency issued on July 19 , in which it stated the following: “The FBI is not aware of a specific cyber threat to these Olympic Games to date, but urges partners to remain vigilant and maintain best practices in their network and digital environment.”
As the FBI explains, attacks coordinated by hackers targeting the Tokyo Summer Olympics could include DDoS attacks, ransomware, social engineering, phishing campaigns or insider threats.
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Such attacks could disrupt or even block live broadcasts of the major event, steal sensitive data before encryption or after hacking into IT systems, or affect the digital infrastructure supporting the Olympic Games.
The ultimate goal of malicious actors is likely to “make money, cause confusion, increase their reputation, discredit opponents, and advance ideological goals.
This year's Summer Olympics are very likely to be targeted by hackers, given that they are the first to be broadcast exclusively through digital platforms or television broadcasts, due to the restrictions brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic.
At least once, data belonging to the Tokyo 2020 Organizing Committee has already been breached this year.
Additionally, the FBI reported the following: “In late May 2021, Japanese IT equipment and services company Fujitsu disclosed a hack in which data from several of its corporate and government customers was compromised, including the Tokyo 2021 Organizing Committee and the Japanese Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism.”
Tokyo Summer Olympics staff have already issued warnings about phishing impersonating the Organizing Committee of the Olympic and Paralympic Games.
This is not the first time that malicious actors have targeted the Olympics, as both Americans and Japanese were singled out as potential targets of a phishing campaign in September 2019.
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According to a report by KYODO NEWS, the attacks were discovered by the company “Antuit”while monitoring a hacking group in dark web discussions. “Looking at their dialogue, there is a high possibility that the hacking group is of Chinese origin,” said Antuit representative Shuhei Igarashi.
Last year, the US Department of Justice (DoJ) indicted six Russian intelligence agents from the Main Intelligence Directorate (GRU), believed to be part of the Russian hacking group “Sandworm,” for hacking operations targeting the Pyongyang Winter Olympics.
From December 2017 to February 2018 , phishing campaigns were carried out and malicious mobile applications were developed, targeting South Korean citizens and officials, athletes, partners, visitors, and International Olympic Committee (IOC) officials.
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They were also accused of hacking into computers supporting the 2018 Pyeongchang Winter Olympics, culminating in the devastating February 2018 malware attack during the Olympics opening ceremony, using a malware known as “Olympic Destroyer”.
The immediate result of this devastating attack was the failureof the Internet and television systems used by journalists reporting on the opening ceremony.
Given these incidents, the FBI recommends reviewing or enacting security policies, user agreements, and remediation plans to address the current threats posed by malicious actors.
The US security agency also shared a list of best practices that will mitigate or even prevent potential attacks against officials or IT infrastructure connected to the 2021 Olympics.
Information source: bleepingcomputer.com
