How Italy is preparing for potential AI-driven cyberattacks at Winter Olympics

In a modern government building in Rome, overlooking the ancient Aurelian walls, dozens of specialists have spent the past year meticulously monitoring criminal chatter across the dark web.

This intensive surveillance forms a crucial part of Italy's strategy to safeguard the upcoming Winter Olympics from potential cyberattacks.

The National Cybersecurity Agency (ACN), established in 2021, views next month's Milano Cortina Games as its inaugural significant challenge.

With the global spotlight firmly fixed on the Olympics, officials anticipate the event will attract a diverse array of threat actors, ranging from petty cybercriminals to highly sophisticated, state-sponsored groups.

The Winter Games, scheduled from 6 to 22 February, will be uniquely spread across multiple Alpine regions, introducing additional logistical and security complexities to an already intricate digital landscape.

"The Olympics are a global event. We expect around three billion viewers and another one and a half million spectators with tickets," Gianluca Galasso, ACN's director of cyber operations and crisis management, told Reuters during a rare tour of the agency's facilities.

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"That visibility can attract criminal interests. It becomes a stage where actors can make a point, link an attack to a cause, or tie it to current geopolitical tensions."

Italy previously lent its support to French authorities during the 2024 Paris Summer Olympics, an event that saw over 140 cyber incidents, including 22 breaches that compromised information systems.

While no attacks disrupted competitions, the sheer volume underscored the difficulties inherent in securing large-scale international events.

France's TGV high-speed rail network also faced physical sabotage attempts on the opening ceremony day. Mr Galasso anticipates similar threats this year, compounded by a new dimension: artificial intelligence.

"Cyber phenomena keep growing for obvious reasons. Now there's artificial intelligence, and we expect attackers to use AI agents to support cyber operations," he explained.

"We anticipate a heightened threat level, but we are prepared. At the moment we don't see any specific, elevated risk."

Among the most probable scenarios are disruptions targeting services with high public visibility, such as interrupting streaming feeds, blocking website access, or hindering ticket purchases.

"Attackers want something that has media resonance," Mr Galasso stated, speaking before rows of analysts in black attire, headphones on, scrutinising screens for suspicious activity. Behind him, a vast display pulsed with graphics and maps tracking global cyber trends.

ACN's strategy is predicated on early detection, aiming to identify hostile activity before an intrusion attempt can materialise. Analysts continuously monitor the open web, criminal forums, and social channels for emerging threats and patterns.

"Our work happens before someone tries to enter a system," he affirmed. "We look at everything that moves in the criminal ecosystem to anticipate the threat."

Approximately 20 of the agency's 100 operational specialists will focus exclusively on Olympic-related intelligence from ACN headquarters in Rome, maintaining real-time contact with teams deployed at the venues.

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An additional 10 senior experts will travel to Milan from 4 February to join the Technology Operations Centre (TOC), the central hub established to supervise and secure all the Games' technological systems.

There, they will collaborate with nearly 100 Deloitte specialists and some 300 staff from the local organising committee and technology partners, collectively overseeing the digital infrastructure across all venues.

Mr Galasso confirmed that ACN will continue to feed intelligence to the technical teams as threats evolve.

"The goal is always the same: anticipate threats and respond quickly and effectively whenever a specific risk becomes visible," he concluded.