A slippery slope: Beware of Winter Olympics scams and other cyberthreats

Cybercriminals have always been drawn to major sporting events. A combination of global brand awareness and an extensive digital footprint make them a popular option for opportunistic scammers. And events don’t get much bigger or better known than the Olympics.

Cybercriminals have been looking to capitalize on the Olympics for years – for example, fake ticketing sites proliferated way back during the Beijing 2008 Summer Olympics. Since then, even some state-aligned threat actors have got involved, disrupting the Pyeongchang 2018 games by using wiper malware that shut down Wi-Fi hotspots and TV feeds, and crippled the back-end servers of the games’ official app. Some hacktivists are never far away either, spying a perfect opportunity to draw attention to their cause.

But as the world prepares for Milano-Cortina 2026, what are the most common threats that you should look out for? And how can you stay safe?

What to watch out ...