Why is FBI asking US athletes to take temporary phones to China for Beijing Olympics?
As if Covid-19 and the contagious Omicron variant weren't enough of a threat to Beijing Winter Olympics 2022, several countries have flagged the threat of cyberattacks too. In the latest, the FBI has urged US athletes headed to the event to take a burner phone with them instead of their personal devices.
"The FBI urges all athletes to keep their personal cell phones at home and use a temporary phone while at the games. The National Olympic Committees in some Western countries are also advising their athletes to leave personal devices at home or use temporary phones due to cybersecurity concerns at the Games," the agency said in a notice.
The US, UK, Canada and Australia have all recommended their athletes to not take their personal cell phone devices. Some countries like Australia are also planning to set up their own WiFi networks.
WHAT KIND OF CYBERATTACKS IS THE FBI WORRIED ABOUT?
FBI in its notice said that athletes could be vulnerable to distributed denial of service (DDoS) attacks, ransomware, malware, social engineering, data theft or leaks, phishing campaigns, disinformation campaigns, or insider threats.
Besides this, the FBI has also flagged the ‘My 2022’ app that all athletes attending the Beijing Olympics event are required to download to track their health. FBI’s concerns come on the back of a Citizen Lab report that raised cyber security problems with the app.
However, the IOC and Chinese authorities both have denied the claims.
WHY BEIJING OLYMPICS IS A TARGET FOR CYBERATTACKS
Mega international events like the Olympics are often subject to cyberattacks. There are three kinds of groups that may launch a cyberattack:
1. Foreign intelligence: Often for espionage purposes or undermining the image of a country.
2. Cyber terrorists: For financial or data theft.
3. Hacktivists: For publicity or simple mischief.
Tokyo Olympics itself faced nearly 450 million cyberattacks, with none successful. Earlier, there have been instances when cyberattacks were marginally successful during such events, for example when miscreants targeted the World Anti-Doping Agency and Court of Attribution for Sport during the 2016 Rio Olympics, or when the South Korean Olympics opening ceremony was almost brought to a halt due to one such attack.
So, the FBI’s warnings are not without substance.
The good news however is that the NTT Corporation that provided telecommunications services, network security and various cyber security measures during the Tokyo Olympics, is also providing services for the Beijing Olympics.
NTT described fighting cyberattacks during Tokyo Olympics as the final fight scene from Harry Potter against Voldemort, when speaking with ZDNet.
WHAT IS THE POLITICS BEHIND THE ALLEGATIONS/WARNINGS?
Of course, nothing related to Beijing Winter Olympics is without its politics. FBI’s warning came on the same day when its director Christopher Wray in a separate event criticised the Chinese government for running alleged state-sponsored cyberattacks intending to steal information and technology from US companies.
It doesn’t help that US along with several other countries have chosen to diplomatically boycott the Olympics.
The Chinese Communist Party mouthpiece Global Times has also responded to cyber security concerns raised by Western countries, alleging that Russian intelligence says US may indulge in cyberattacks or cyber espionage during the Games.
Global Times also accused Western countries of trying to run propaganda against China by ‘pushing negative coverage’ of the Beijing Olympics.
Only time will tell how China and all the athletes emerge out of the Beijing Winter Olympics, shadowed by a plethora of problems.
PS: In case you needed reminding what the final fight between Harry Potter and Voldemort looked like, here you go: