State-backed hackers or private criminals may conduct cyberattacks targeting the Beijing Olympic games, the FBI said in a warning to computer network operators on Tuesday. …
State-backed hackers or private criminals may conduct cyberattacks targeting the Beijing Olympic games, the FBI said in a warning to computer network operators on Tuesday. The warning followed a major speech on Monday by FBI Director Christopher Wray accusing China’s government of conducting a “massive, sophisticated” ongoing campaign of cyberattacks aimed at stealing American technology and data. “The FBI is warning entities associated with the February 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics and March 2022 Paralympics that cyber actors could use a broad range of cyber activities to disrupt these events,” the bureau stated in a warning notice. “These activities include distributed denial of service (DDoS) attacks, ransomware, malware, social engineering, data theft or leaks, phishing campaigns, disinformation campaigns or insider threats, and when successful, can block or disrupt the live broadcast of the event, steal or leak sensitive data, or impact public or private digital infrastructure supporting the Olympics.” Athletes taking part in the Games or travelers to China for the sporting competition also face the danger of electronic infiltration of their mobile devices.
