Home topics technology business-tech-blogs Business Tech Devices Business Tech Hackers begin scamming in lead up to 2012 London Olympics Gerry Tucker June 22, 2012 The 2012 Summer Olympic Games in London will mark the third time the city has hosted this event. When previous London Olympics were held in 1908 and 1948, cyberattacks weren’t even the stuff of science fiction. This time around, they are a real concern. Hackers are already taking advantage of the huge explosion in search engine requests, ticket sales, online streaming, and social media postings that will occur as a result of this 17-day sports event. The 2008 Beijing Olympics were the target of about 12 million cybersecurity incidents per day. We’ve already read about Olympic ticket scams with the 2012 London games, but that is just the beginning. Ticket scams are a major security concern due to the money involved; four years ago, tickets to the Beijing Opening Ceremony were sold on the black market for $26,000 each. The U.K. government is preparing for all kinds of attacks, from actual terrorism to computer threats. Cabinet Office minister Francis Maude said, “We have rightly been preparing for some time – a dedicated unit will help guard the London Olympics against cyberattacks. We are determined to have a safe and secure Games.” He added that an essential element of security is keeping updated on emerging threats: “Our responses have to be fast and flexible. What works one day is unlikely to work a matter of months or