The 2008 Olympics in Beijing has brought spectators heroic shows of athleticism, courage and perseverance. But while attendees were focused on the athletes, IT experts and personnel were focused on the possibility of more sinister feats by cybercriminals.

Even before the Games began, the U.S. Government issued a warning that Olympic attendees should avoid using any wireless networks in China, saying that the chance of transmissions being intercepted was high. They also warned against electronic transmissions via PDAs, faxes and phones. The warning recommended that visitors change their passwords frequently and update their antivirus and spyware programs. But why were security experts so concerned? As it turns out, it’s a well-known fact that China is a favorite hangout for sophisticated cybercriminals, and some security experts expressed concern that they could take the opportunity to raise havoc during the Games. Thankfully, most of the Olympic-related threats were less severe than a full-scale network attack, although still worrisome. And even if you were nowhere near the Games, it doesn’t hurt to know how to reduce your security vulnerabilities in the face of continually emerging threats. The Beijing Olympics, while a momentous and spectacular occasion, can also be seen as a cautionary tale of what could happen when tech-savvy criminals have the world brought to their doorstep.

So, let’s take a look at the Olympic-related threats and how they could be avoided. After all, being vigilant is the only way to stay safe.

Olympic Threats

1. Spam, phishing attacks and malicious code

The Beijing Olympics were, like the U.S. presidential elections, a great opportunity to distribute event-related spam and malicious code. If you received an email with “Best Way To Watch The Olympics From Home” in the header, you’d be smart not to open it. NBC had an exclusive license to online Olympic coverage, and anyone trying to sell a sneak peak was surely up to no good.

Olympic-related spam had the potential of being both annoying and dangerous. Users were directed to fake Olympic-themed sites that contained malicious downloads or made them subject to a phishing attack, where the bad guys tried to get users to reveal credit card numbers and other confidential information.

McAfee® also got ahold of an email offering a slideshow of the architectural wonders China has for the Games. But the slideshow actually hid a Trojan that worked behind the scenes, pilfering information from the infected machine.

There were even reports that an Olympic-themed PDF was sent to certain sporting and athletic organizations, purportedly from the International Olympic Committee (IOC). The PDF contained information from the IOC website, as well as an executable file that compromises the user’s computer.

Lesson: Be very careful with any event-related emails from unknown sources. There’s a high likelihood that they contain security threats.

2. Wireless interception

The U.S. Government’s security warning about using wireless networks in China was not unfounded. Cybercriminals are getting more and more adept at intercepting wireless transmissions, leaving your personal and confidential information up for grabs. If you are in the range of an unsecured network, it’s a good idea to turn off the Wi-Fi features on your electronic devices, just in case there is a criminal lurking.

3. Spyware and censorship

Another threat looming at the Olympics was spyware. There were reports that the Chinese government insisted that hotels install spyware on computers to keep track of visitors’ Internet surfing habits. The Chinese government has also notoriously blocked access to sites that it finds sensitive or controversial, such as sites on Tibet and the spiritual group Falun Gong.

While the Beijing Olympics is wrapped up, the techniques and scams perpetrated by cybercriminals remain. But hopefully, with a vigilance and effort, we can win the race in these cyber games.