CyberWire Daily

Patch or pull the plug.

7 snips
Feb 6, 2026
Guest
Mike Carr
Mike Carr, Field CTO at Xona, a specialist in event logistics and cybersecurity for large-scale events. He discusses securing temporary networks at the 2026 Winter Olympics. Shortcomings from vendor shortcuts and undocumented hotspots create gaps. He outlines what attackers often go after and why real-world constraints force risky compromises.
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ADVICE

Assume You Are A Target

  • Do assume you are a target and prepare accordingly for high-visibility events and critical infrastructure.
  • Do inventory and understand your environment so temporary, multi-party deployments don't create unmanaged attack surfaces.
INSIGHT

Temporary Networks Amplify Risk

  • Temporary event networks create complex, overlapping systems that often lack a single accountable owner.
  • Those organizational gaps and ad-hoc fixes increase risk despite the short-lived nature of the deployment.
ADVICE

Don't Let Vendors Shortcut Security

  • Do avoid undocumented vendor shortcuts like unauthorized hotspots or open ports even under time pressure.
  • Do enforce approval and documentation so vendors don't introduce unknown vulnerabilities to speed deployment.
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