Listening

Warm Up

Helpful Words and Phrases

Listen and repeat.

  1. cybersecurity
    • ex. The government needs to develop strong cybersecurity to protect the country’s information from hackers.
  2. crucial
    • ex. A strong password is crucial to protect yourself from hackers.
  3. a cyberattack
    • ex. A cyberattack can cause a lot of damage to computers and the internet.
  4. deal with (someone/something)
    • ex. Police officers deal with many types of emergencies, such as car accidents and robberies.
  5. extensively
    • ex. Mindy studied extensively for her exam to make sure she got good grades.

Article

Read the article below and answer your tutor's questions.

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Just like the Olympic athletes, cybersecurity experts are training hard for the Paris Games. They will be crucial for the success of the big event. Their goal is for the Olympics and Paralympics to happen without a major cyberattack incident. Cybersecurity engineers need to protect important computer and information systems against cyberattacks effectively.

Besides the Games, important systems, like transportation and supplies may also be attacked. Cybersecurity experts expect to have a very busy summer as they deal with different kinds of tech criminals. These tech criminals could include “hacktivists,” who wish to make a political statement, and hackers who simply want to make money. There are also some hackers supported by countries that might want to embarrass France and the International Olympic Committee.

Vincent Strubel leads France’s national cybersecurity agency, known as ANSSI. He said the level of threats for the Olympics is unprecedented. He also mentioned that many kinds of cyberattacks are expected during the Games. Some threats cannot seriously affect the Olympics, but some can. However, the agency is training more extensively than ever before. So, Strubel is confident that things will go well.

This material was based on an article by The Associated Press.

Discussion

Choose a topic and discuss the questions with your tutor.

Cybersecurity

  • Why do you think it’s important for cybersecurity experts to train hard for the Paris Olympics (ex. to make sure they’re prepared for any kind of attack)? Discuss.
  • Cybersecurity experts for the Paris Olympics are expecting to deal with different types of tech criminals. Among them, who do you think is the most dangerous threat (ex. hacktivists, hackers supported by other countries)? Discuss.
  • Imagine that hackers attacked France’s important systems, like transportation and supplies. What do you think would be its effect (ex. cause trouble for businesses, interrupt the Games)? Discuss.

Cyberattacks

  • What can you do to protect yourself from cyberattacks (ex. use strong passwords, not share personal information online)? Discuss.
  • Why do you think people engage in cyberattacks (ex. to make money, to make a political statement)? Discuss.
  • Do you think people should be scared of cyberattacks? Why or why not? Discuss.