Ransomware Attack Strikes Olympics Venue, French Cultural Sites
The Grand Palais Réunion des musées nationaux, a major cultural venue in Paris and a host to numerous Olympic events, suffered a cyberattack over the weekend. Learn more about the incident and the threat of cyber actors on the Paris games.
- On Saturday, August 3, threat actors attacked the Réunion des Musées Nationaux et Grand Palais (RMN) computer systems.
- The Grand Palais complex has hosted various Olympics-related events and exhibitions, including fencing and taekwondo competitions.
On the weekend of August 3-4, France’s Grand Palais, a major cultural and exhibition venue, experienced a significant cyberattack. The attack occurred amid heightened attention on the Paris Olympic games and targeted the Réunion des Musées Nationaux (RMN), the network that manages the Grand Palais and other cultural sites in the country. The Grand Palais complex hosted Olympics-related events and exhibitions, including taekwondo and fencing competitions.
The Attack and Response
The incident was initially identified as a ransomware attack. Cybercriminals allegedly entered the RMN network, encrypted critical data, and demanded a ransom to release it. While the Grand Palais was the primary target, the cyberattack affected other cultural institutions within the same network, resulting in widespread disruption. France’s Anti-Cybercrime Brigade has opened an investigation into the incident.
The cyberattack was detected quickly, and containment measures, including emergency shutdowns and initiating automated operations, were deployed almost immediately. However, the complete resolution of the issue took days, with IT teams working around the clock. Several events and exhibitions at the Grand Palais were canceled or postponed during the resolution period, affecting visitors and participants.
Previous Warnings
The cyberattack on the Grand Palais highlights earlier warnings about cyber threats affecting the Paris Olympics 2024. In the months leading up to the event, cybersecurity experts had raised concerns about the potential occurrence of cyber attacks, especially from nation-state actors based in Russia. Reports highlighted the need for cybersecurity measures against such threats.
French authorities had taken such warnings seriously, implementing exhaustive measures to protect Olympic infrastructure. However, the attack on the Grand Palais has highlighted the vulnerabilities that still exist within France’s cultural institutions linked to the Olympics.
Abhilash Garimella, vice president of research at Bolster, spoke about the attack: “We are disappointed but, sadly, not entirely surprised by news of a ransomware attack entering the second week of competition at the Paris Olympics 2024.
In July, there was a more than 1000% increase in domains spun up around Olympics keywords, targeting consumers, attendees, and even athletes and workers at the Games compared to January of this year. Cybercriminals are using AI tools to more efficiently produce a convincing scam and trick users into clicking links that launch the ransomware.
Protecting against these attacks requires advanced detection capabilities that enable an organization to proactively identify and address potential threats across various digital channels – including the open web, social media, app stores, and the dark web.”
Takeaways
While the immediate effects of the cyberattack were contained, the incident highlights the persistent cyber threats that target global events. It highlights the need for continuous vigilance and rapid response infrastructure. It also highlights the need to extend cybersecurity measures beyond primary Olympic venues to other associated institutions.
While significant, the attack on the Grand Palais did not cause lasting disruption to the games. The incident illustrates the preparedness of French authorities and the evolution of cyber threats. Better cooperation between cultural institutions and cybersecurity organizations will remain essential in mitigating similar threats going forward.
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