In this podcast, we discuss with Derek Manky, chief security strategist and VP of global threat intelligence at Fortinet about the recent FortiGuard Labs report “Dark Web Shows Cybercriminals Ready for Olympics. Are You?”, which examines the threat actors, methodologies, and tactics being used to target attendees, viewers, businesses, and agencies of the upcoming games. Derek highlighted the heightened risk for this event compared to previous games, emphasizing the importance of preparedness and vigilance. He also touched on the importance of shoring up network resilience, using machine learning and artificial intelligence, creating preparedness playbooks, and conducting training and education to combat these evolving threats. The conversation also explored the blurred lines between cyber and physical security, emphasizing the need for a cyber-physical security operating system to address these complex threats.
Some of the findings were:
- Surge in darknet activity targeting France since 2H 2023.
- The sale of stolen credentials and compromised VPN connections to enable unauthorized access to private networks. Ads for phishing kits and exploit tools customized for the Paris Olympics. The sale of French databases that contain PII on French citizens
- Hacktivist activity spiking, specificallyby pro-Russian groups.
- Phishing kits and infostealers abound, and there are a significant number of typosquatting domains registered around the Olympics.
