The FBI has urged U.S. athletes to not use personal phones at the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics, which will begin on Feb. 4, citing the risk of “malicious cyber activities.”
“The FBI urges all athletes to keep their personal cell phones at home and use a temporary phone while at the Games,” the FBI said in a Jan. 31 notice, which also states that the agency is “not aware of any specific cyber threats against the Olympics.”
The FBI also warned of the “potential threats” of downloading mobile applications developed from “untrusted vendors” while in Beijing.
“The download and use of applications, including those required to participate or stay in country, could increase the opportunity for cyber actors to steal personal information or install tracking tools, malicious code, or malware,” the notice reads.
The agency cited the 2018 PyeongChang Winter Olympics, when Russian actors conducted a cyber attack against the opening ceremony. They enabled the attack through spear-phishing campaigns and malicious mobile applications.
There were more than 450 million attempted cyber-related incidents at the 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games and Paralympics, although none were successful due to cybersecurity measures that were in place, according to the agency.
“While there were no major cyber disruptions, the most popular attack methods used were malware, email spoofing, phishing, and the use of fake websites and streaming services designed to look like official Olympic service providers,” the notice reads.
The U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Committee also suggested using disposable devices while in Beijing and installing virtual private networks (VPN) on devices before leaving the United States.
“It should be assumed that every text, email, online visit, and application access can be monitored or compromised,” the committee said in an advisory.
National Olympic committees in some Western countries also advised their athletes to use burner phones while in Beijing because of potential “Chinese surveillance.”
The Dutch Olympic Committee stated that their athletes would be provided with unused devices to protect their personal data from Chinese surveillance, de Volkskrant reported.
The British Olympic Association stated that it had given athletes and staff practical advice with regard to taking their personal devices to Beijing and that it would also provide temporary devices to those who wanted them.
Similarly, Canadian Sports Minister Pascale St-Onge said in January that Canada’s Olympic team would be provided phones and SIM cards to use in Beijing as the government is “well aware of the espionage and all these issues with China,” local media outlets reported.
The Swiss and Swedish committees also will provide new devices to their delegations and have briefed them on measures they can take to protect cybersecurity.
