How to protect your events from cyber attacks

How to protect your events from cyber attacks
By Georg Jonkin

The growing popularity of online events is attracting more and more cybercriminals who are interested in sensitive user data or politically motivated interference. From general meetings to conferences and sporting events, attacks on live broadcasts on the internet have increased dramatically in recent years. In this article, we will show you how you can effectively protect yourself from attacks.

Threats are constantly changing

Nowadays, cyberattacks on major events are more the rule than the exception. In Switzerland, insider circles are aware of attacks on live broadcasts of general meetings, for example, which remained under the public radar because they were successfully averted. On the other hand, the DDoS attacks on the Swiss Federal Administration(opens in new tab) during the Bürgenstock Conference in June 2024 became well known. In both cases, the attacks were politically motivated. However, there are also several known cases in which attackers gained illegal access to streaming platforms in order to obtain sensitive information about companies. The methods used by cybercriminals are constantly evolving, and event organisers are finding it difficult to adapt their security architecture to the ever-changing threat landscape. Ultimately, no online event is immune from unwanted cyberattacks. Wherever a large audience is watching or sensitive information is being exchanged, there is also potential for abuse.It's a vicious circle: the more popular online communication and the wider the use of streaming services, the greater the interest of cybercriminals on the one hand and the larger the attack surface due to the growing number of users and devices on the other. The most common attack vectors are as follows:

  • Attacks on applications: Cybercriminals exploit vulnerabilities in the application architecture and in the software code to disrupt a system or gain access to sensitive data.
     
  • Distributed denial of service (DDoS) attacks: These types of attacks use artificial traffic to disrupt a website or service, making it inaccessible or slow to legitimate users. Sometimes DDoS attacks are also used as a diversion to gain access to data rather undisturbed.
     
  • Credential stuffing: Hackers take advantage of the fact that people often use the same username and password combinations for multiple accounts. In such an attack, hackers can buy extensive lists of stolen access data from the darknet and use automation to try each one to gain access to the target service.
     
  • Phishing: This type of attack uses fake emails, websites or messages in which cybercriminals pose as trusted companies or individuals to steal sensitive information such as usernames, passwords or credit card details. Users are tricked into clicking on fraudulent links or revealing personal information.

Survey reveals significant security gaps

In 2021, Verizon Media conducted a survey(opens in new tab) of security experts at streaming services to better understand how well their platforms are prepared for cyberattacks.

  • 80% of respondents said they were not prepared or inadequately prepared for DDoS and similar attacks.

  • 50% said that security breaches had affected the user experience of their services.

  • 30% of respondents reported a security breach that caused a service interruption.

  • 14% of respondents said that their content had been misused.

The survey also found that virtually all streaming services had already been affected by security breaches.

Cloud security: the most effective way to protect events against cyberattacks

Above all, these results make one thing clear: even organisers with a high-performance security system cannot afford to be careless. But what can be done to protect online events from cyberattacks? Experts agree that one of the most effective levers is the use of cloud-based security solutions, such as those offered by Cloudflare(opens in new tab) or Akamai(opens in new tab), the two leading global providers in this field. Tools such as web application firewalls (more on this in this article(opens in new tab)) and bot management, which can be added to a website or online service as a security add-on, can be used to create a kind of virtual protective shield around the online event. The use of cloud security solutions offers various advantages: 

  • Scalability: Cloud security solutions enable companies to flexibly adapt their security capacities to requirements. They can quickly scale resources to respond to fluctuations in data traffic or demand.

  • Cost savings: Companies do not have to invest in expensive hardware or bear the costs of maintenance and updates. Instead, they usually pay for the use of the services on a pay-as-you-go basis or according to subscription models.

  • Implementation: The necessary hardware and infrastructure are already in place at the cloud security providers, so that companies can concentrate on configuring and customising the solutions.

  • Up-to-date: Cloud security solutions offer regular updates and security upgrades from the provider to keep pace with the constantly changing threat landscape. 

  • Expertise: Cloud security solutions are offered by experienced providers who have extensive knowledge and expertise in information security. These providers follow the latest trends and best practices in the security industry and can help their customers protect against advanced threats.

Ideally, the integration of a corresponding solution is accompanied by a local partner with proximity to the customer and expertise in the domestic IT landscape.

Vigilance, adaptability and strong partners

The growing potential for cyberattacks on online events requires fast and effective measures. For exposed companies and organisations, there is an urgent need to work with security experts to quickly identify security vulnerabilities and implement robust security solutions. Cloud security solutions are the most effective way to counter disruptive manoeuvres and minimise the risk of losing content and user data into the hands of cybercriminals. Only through vigilance, adaptability and strong partners will organisers be able to increase the security of online events and sustainably strengthen user trust.

Better secure than sorry.

As a premium partner of the world's leading CDN and cloud security providers, Swisscom Broadcast supports many of Switzerland's largest companies and federal agencies in the areas of content delivery and edge security.