Threat Intelligence on Elevated Cyber Risk Around Major Events and Regional Targeting Trends
Reporting highlighted elevated cyber risk around the upcoming Milano Cortina Winter Games, with threat researchers warning that high-visibility events attract a broad mix of adversaries including hacktivists, cybercriminals, and state-linked espionage actors. Expected activity includes disruption of Wi-Fi and event digital infrastructure, DDoS, and ransomware/extortion, alongside intelligence collection targeting high-profile attendees (politicians, executives, celebrities) and event-adjacent critical infrastructure such as utilities, transit, ticketing, and point-of-sale systems.
Separate threat reporting indicated a shift in Oceania (Australia/New Zealand/South Pacific) where 2025 activity disproportionately impacted “Main Street” sectors—especially retail, construction, and professional services—rather than traditionally prioritized critical sectors. The reporting attributed part of this trend to the growing market for sold network access (initial access brokerage), citing dozens of tracked access sales affecting Australian and New Zealand organizations, with retail the most frequently impacted; this is distinct from an industry-focused blog post ranking Chinese cybersecurity firms, which is not tied to a specific incident or threat campaign.
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