Atos CEO: Olympics data loss of greater concern than cyber attacks

Olympics IT partner says it is prepared for a range of security attacks

The biggest IT security concern for the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games is not cyber attacks, but losing real-time data, according to Patrick Adiba, CEO of the Iberia region for IT services company Atos.

Atos is the Worldwide IT partner for the Olympic Games, and Adiba manages that relationship for the company. He stressed that although cyber attacks are an important concern, a bigger one for Atos is any loss of real-time data and the management of personal data.

"The biggest threats are losing accurate data and protecting and managing personal data from the event," said Abida.

Adiba's comments come a few weeks after Cabinet Office minister Francis Maude said that this year's Olympics "will not be immune to cyber attacks by those who would seek to disrupt the Games".

But Adiba told Computing there are many other IT security concerns that do not involve hostile attacks.

"The key within our team is that we are integrating a lot of people from different companies as well as volunteers, so we have to ensure our systems are protected against human error. We have to define the right to access the system," he said.

He said a second security issue was if a system was accessed by someone without the right security clearance.

"It may be accidental, but we would disconnect any support connected to a PC that is accessed [without clearance]," he said.

Adiba said all staff are screened and accredited, and that the next step of safety is through the systems themselves.

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Atos CEO: Olympics data loss of greater concern than cyber attacks

Olympics IT partner says it is prepared for a range of security attacks

"We know the pattern and behaviour of all of our systems, and so if we see a change in system behaviour it will be detected straight away, either by a person monitoring the network or by the systems themselves.

"For example, all the systems send data outbound, and we do not have inbound data, so if this were to occur it would be a security hazard," he said.

The CEO went on to emphasize that Atos has prepared itself for a range of IT security scenarios, including distributed denial of service (DDoS) attacks, but he would not disclose how the company would respond to any assault.

"We are prepared for most of the known scenarios and have a response for them all. If it's a new attack we have never encountered before, we'll react on the spot, but the priority is to protect the Games," he said.

Adiba then said the systems used at the Games have moved on a great deal in terms of security from previous events.

"The system has evolved. In Athens we had a [separate] security system beside the other systems, but now it's fully integrated," he said.

However, he said it is not just about the systems but about the people using them.

"Fifty per cent of the security threats are coming from social engineering, such as losing passwords or not having strong enough passwords. So half the issue is about retraining, re-education and making people aware of these problems," he said.