Sochi attendees be forewarned--hackers will probably try to attack your smartphone during your stay at the Olympic games. At least one journalist's smartphone was hacked within minutes of performing an Internet search in Sochi. His computers were also targeted.
Reporter Richard Engel decided to see whether hackers would target Sochi attendees' devices, so he brought along two brand-new computers and a new smartphone. One of the computers was a PC and the other a Mac. The smartphone in question was the Samsung Galaxy S4. He asked an American mobile security expert to place hackable content on the new smartphone. He then searched for "Sochi" on the device using the Internet. In less than one minute, all of his data was hacked.
"Almost immediately we were hacked," Engel said. "Malicious software hijacked our phone before we even finished our coffee, stealing my information and giving hackers the option to tap or record my phone calls."
Later on in the day, Engels discovered that his two computers had been hacked, too and his private information was being funneled into Russian servers from one of the computers.
Naturally, journalists, celebrities, politicians and Olympic athletes are prime targets for hackers, but other attendees could also face similar risks. The U.S. State Department told Americans who plan to travel to Sochi for the Winter Olympics have "no expectation of privacy." Attendees are encouraged to use extreme caution when downloading attachments, accessing email and performing basic Internet searches. However, at this point, it's neigh impossible for anyone in Sochi to protect themselves from hackers.
If you decide to bring a mobile device with you, avoid public Wi-Fi and delete any important personal information from your devices, including any banking apps. Although mobile security firms are responsible for protecting Sochi visitors from hackers, the sheer number of attendees and their multiple devices will make it difficult to protect everyone's data.
Essentially, the only way you can avoid being hacked is to go off the grid for the Olympics, but it is doubtful that most visitors will do that. Chances are, every single moment, picture or video you post on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram will also be shared with a nameless Russian hacker. Perhaps the worst part of this hacking fiasco is that after you return from Sochi to your home country, your devices will still be infected.
