Russian Cyber Campaigns Aim to Disrupt Paris Olympics

Two Russian state-aligned hacking groups, known as Storm-1679 and Storm-1099 (also dubbed “Doppelganger”), have been actively undermining the upcoming Olympic Games in Paris through online influence operations. For over a year, these groups have engaged in the dissemination of fake news, manipulated images, and videos aided by artificial intelligence across social media platforms. According to a recent report by Microsoft, the operations aim to damage the reputation of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) — which previously banned Russia from the Olympics — and to incite fears of potential violence during the event.
Storm-1679 notably produced a feature-length film titled “Olympics Has Fallen,” mimicking the style of a Netflix blockbuster, complete with fake reviews and AI-generated narration, to spread disinformation. The group has also created videos impersonating credible sources like the CIA and French security agencies, falsely warning of terrorist threats to the Games. Meanwhile, Storm-1099 took a different approach by using French-language fake news websites to circulate rumors about IOC corruption, violence threats, and criticism of French President Emmanuel Macron.
Russia’s engagement with the Olympics has been controversial, not just for doping scandals but also for cyberattacks, such as the “Olympic Destroyer” during the 2018 Winter Games, which sought to disrupt the event’s IT infrastructure and falsely implicate North Korea. The potential for direct cyberattacks on the Paris Olympics’ infrastructure remains a significant concern, highlighting the necessity for comprehensive international cooperation in physical security measures and the preparation of staff for emergent cyber threats. The unique and extensive IT infrastructure of the Olympics presents a considerable challenge, necessitating a fully operational security operations center (SOC) with well-trained personnel to safeguard the event.