The recent cyberattacks on Las Vegas hotels have highlighted the susceptibility of meetings and conferences to cyber disruptions, according to Oakley Cox, a cybersecurity analyst at Darktrace. Cox discusses common threats faced by the industry:
Freezing Access: Attackers may target critical IT systems and encrypt files, preventing users from accessing them. Ransomware attacks often employ this technique, with attackers demanding a ransom for file decryption. For instance, MGM Resorts fell victim to such an attack, incurring daily losses estimated in the millions of dollars.
Ransomware: Ransomware attacks, while financially motivated, can disrupt events and conferences. Typically not tailored to specific victims or events, these attacks can result in significant financial and reputational damage.
Highly Targeted Attacks: Politically motivated actors, like hacktivists or cyber terrorists, can engage in highly targeted attacks that disrupt and damage infrastructure. These attacks may have broader implications, including environmental or human health and safety concerns. Cox cites an example from the Pyeongyang Winter Olympics in 2018, where hackers successfully disrupted the event by taking down official websites, disabling stadium WiFi, and disrupting security controls.
To combat these threats, Cox suggests building cyber resilience. Darktrace’s Cyber AI, for instance, understands an organization’s normal behaviour and can detect unusual activities indicative of cyber threats. This capability enables the autonomous monitoring of IT systems supporting events and rapid responses to threats.
Darktrace’s AI was used to protect the Qatar World Cup in 2022, ensuring the event’s cybersecurity across multiple stadiums and complex digital infrastructures. The lesson is that cyber resilience and early threat detection are crucial for maintaining the security and continuity of events and conferences, particularly when dealing with increasingly sophisticated threat actors.
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