Guaranteeing the cybersecurity of major sports events through cooperation with the private sector

The French Cybersecurity Agency (ANSSI) and the German Federal Office for Information Security (Bundesamt für Sicherheit in der Informationstechnik – BSI) have published their 9th joint annual report, which this year focuses on cybersecurity at major sporting events from the perspective of cooperation.

Cybersecurity at major sporting events represents a major challenge for the host country due to the organisational complexity, the multitude of stakeholders involved, and the global visibility to which it is exposed. All these factors increase the risk of cyber attacks that could compromise the security of the entire country, disrupt the experience of millions of spectators and damage the organisers’ reputation.

In 2024, the Paris Olympic and Paralympic Games and the UEFA European Football Championship required France and Germany to ensure the digital and physical security of all stakeholders across several cities and over a period of several weeks, against a backdrop of geopolitical tension. The main objective was to prevent any significant disruption to the events or tournaments caused by a cyber incident.

For these two events, a series of preventive and reactive measures were put in place in collaboration with all relevant stakeholders in each host city, to ensure an adequate level of security for information systems that were particularly vulnerable during the events. To achieve this, it was necessary to forge collaborative relationships between partners, private companies and local communities, federations and associations.

This report highlights the vital importance of cooperation with the private sector in ensuring the cybersecurity of major sporting events. Such cooperation provides an opportunity to build and strengthen a solid relationship based on trust, and to establish improved long-term communication, which is essential in the event of a crisis.