Cops prepare for Commonwealth Games cyber attack as fears mount over ticket fraud

A report has revealed the measures being taken by Police Scotland to deal with cyber attacks by criminals during the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow

Major steps have been taken by police to combat damaging cyber attacks by criminals during the Commonwealth Games, the Daily Record can reveal.

It’s feared any assault on the games’ IT and computer infrastructure could affect the smooth running of the ten day competition and cause chaos and confusion at the various events.

There are also fears that the public could fall victim to cyber criminals who set up fake websites to sell tickets to see the competitors. Glasgow sports fans then turn up at venues to discover the tickets are invalid and have been duped out of large sums of money.

A further fear is that hackers using the fake websites could put out wrong information on venues and locations causing chaos on the day of events.

Any breach of the IT system by cyber criminals could also affect the timing systems used in competitions.

A report by Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary Scotland (HMICS) has revealed that a Police Scotland cyber team has linked up with the National Crime Agency who are responsible for investigating serious and organised crime across the UK.

The report also details the measures put in place to prevent and deal with any cyber attacks during the ten day event in Glasgow.

It said: “Key cyber-related risks have been explicitly recognised, including potential disruptive attacks, fraud-related activity and emerging technological risks.

“Experienced cyber investigators are available. Plans are in place for misinformation management, with messaging being developed to provide clarity and reassurance to the public where misinformation is considered a potential risk.

“Planning activity is progressing well between the Scottish Cyber Coordination Centre, Police Scotland, the Organising Company, the National Crime Agency and cyber security partners.

“The group has arranged a series of meetings to explore the coordination structures that would be activated, in the event of a cyber incident.

“The partners will continue to assess cyber threat levels and undertake scenario planning to develop a proportionate response.

“They also intend to establish a daily multi-agency cyber situational awareness group during the Games – as implemented for other major events – to monitor the broader cyber threat.”

A “dedicated Police Scotland communications cell” will also operate during the Games to coordinate any response to a cyber attack or attacks.

Major sporting occasions have been targeted by hackers and cyber criminals in the recent past. Prior to the 2018 Commonwealth Games in the Gold Coast in Australia police and organisers blocked 176,000 pieces of malware.

At the time one official described the situation as “the Wild West”, saying various attempted cyber attacks had been launched.

Malware is a programme specifically designed to damage, disrupt, or gain unauthorized access to a computer system. Cyber criminals use it to steal sensitive data, extort victims, hijack devices, and bypass security.

Major disruption was caused by a cyber attack which hit the Opening Ceremony of the Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang, South Korea in February 2018.

The official Games website, television and Internet systems were disrupted for about 12 hours, with problems arising just before the start of the ceremony.

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The 2026 Commonwealth Games will run from July 23 to August 2. It will be a slimmed down event with 3,000 athletes from 74 nations competing in ten sports including swimming and cycling.

Glasgow, who hosted the games in 2014, agreed to hold them for a second time after the State of Victoria in Australia withdrew as host in 2023 due to mounting costs.

The 67 page HMICS report also looked at law enforcement plans for the Games

HM Assistant Inspector of Constabulary in Scotland, Brian McInulty, said: “We found that Police Scotland has established a strong and credible foundation for the policing of the Games.

“We found planning is intelligence-led, risk aware and informed by learning from previous major events and high-profile visits. Collaborative working within intelligence, cyber and counter-terrorism functions has been well established.”

Police Scotland Gold Commander Assistant Chief Constable Mark Sutherland said: “We are aware of the potential for cyber-attacks which are often led by organised crime groups. We will continue to assess cyber threat levels in the run up to and during the Games.

“Managing cyber-risk has been a core part of the planning process and during the Games we have will have specialist cyber investigators available. Our preparedness also includes testing and exercising various scenarios, such as cyber threats, to ensure an effective and coordinated response to incidents.”