Winter Olympics Could Share Podium With Cyberattackers

Unit 42's threat assessment warns that the Milano Cortina Winter Games will attract a wide range of cyber threats — financially motivated ransomware and extortion operations targeting ticketing, PoS and critical infrastructure; nation-state espionage focusing on diplomats and high-profile attendees (e.g., APT28, Mustang Panda, Kimsuky); and hacktivist campaigns seeking publicity via DDoS, data leaks, and site defacement. Attackers are expected to leverage phishing, AI/deepfakes, stolen credentials, and automated vulnerability discovery against a complex ecosystem of vendors and services, making coordinated public-private defensive efforts essential.