With one week to go until the opening ceremony of the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, organisers have reported a major disruption to computer systems worldwide, a serious problem ahead of the approaching opening of the competitions. The global technology problems appeared to be linked to problems at global cybersecurity firm CrowdStrike and Microsoft, with a major service disruption wreaking havoc on computer systems around the world, causing flights to be grounded in the US, derailing TV broadcasts in the UK and impacting telecommunications in Australia, as well as affecting ticket sales or media broadcasts or banks.

‘CrowdStrike is actively working with customers affected by a flaw found in a single content update for Windows hosts. The issue has been identified, isolated and a fix has been implemented,’ CEO George Kurtz said in a message on the X social networking platform. For its part, Microsoft said in a statement that it was taking ‘mitigation actions’ in response to the service issues.

‘Paris 2024 is aware of the global technical issues affecting Microsoft software. These issues are impacting Paris 2024 IT operations,’ organisers said. ‘Paris 2024 technical teams have been fully mobilised to mitigate the impact of these issues and we have activated contingency plans to continue operations,’ they added.

Although the problem appears to have been resolved, a source from the Paris Olympics organising committee said there are still glitches in the accreditation system, so some people will not be able to collect their credentials ahead of next Friday's ceremony on the River Seine. Another problem caused by the technological breakdown affects the timely arrival of many athletes' flights, as many of their flights were cancelled after the Olympic Village welcomed its first guests on Thursday.

Also affected were the London Stock Exchange (LSE), airports in Spain, the Netherlands and Hong Kong, as well as production at US carmaker Tesla's plant outside Berlin.

Cyber-attacks, a real concern

As early as April, the Paris Olympics have been bracing themselves for a wave of cyber threats that is wide-ranging, from criminal groups seeking financial gain to states seeking to destabilise the Games. Ideologically driven ‘hacktivist’ groups, individuals involved in gambling schemes and even athletes themselves pose potential risks to the cybersecurity infrastructure of the Paris Olympics.

"There are so many moving parts that the attack surface is quite large and it's a very serious security challenge," John Hultquist, an analyst at Mandiant Consulting, a Google-owned cybersecurity consultancy, told AFP. "We're concerned about everything from broadcasters to sponsors, transport infrastructure, logistics and support, and competitions. Any kind of disruption is on the table," Hultquist said.

For his part,the director of France's National Cyber Security Agency, Vincent Strubel, has already declared that this year's Games would be a ‘target’, including for foreign states interested in ‘disrupting the opening ceremony or causing problems in public transport’. Strubel's warning, it should be added, comes amid tense diplomatic relations between France and Russia over the war in Ukraine.

Atos, the cybersecurity and data provider for the Paris Olympics, is responsible for the near-instantaneous delivery of Olympic and Paralympic results to broadcasters and media during the summer events. The company has confirmed significant annual losses, but assures Paris 2024 that it will not be affected.