Football
A Premier League club almost lost £1million as cyber
criminals attempted to hack and sabotage a transfer deal.
Professional sports organisations have been urged to
tighten their online security after it was revealed football clubs have been
targeted by hackers.
The National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) said the
email address of a Premier League club’s managing director had been hacked
during a transfer negotiation, and only intervention from the bank prevented
the club losing around £1million.
But that was only one of several incidents highlighted
as evidence that sport needed to improve its cyber security, having faced
increased pressure from cyber criminals activity.
Another breach almost saw an English Football League
fixture postponed after a club was hit by ransomware which cut off its security
systems and blocked turnstiles.
The Cyber Threat to Sports Organisations report also
revealed that a member of staff at a racecourse lost £15,000 after attempting
to buy groundskeeping equipment from a spoofed version of eBay.
The NCSC said its report found hackers were trying to
compromise sporting organisations on a daily basis, often by targeting business
email or using ransomware to shut down critical systems.
It has urged clubs and businesses to put security
measures in place and back up data to help prevent such incidents.
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EFL teams have also been targeted, with a game nearly
having to be postponed after a hack meant turnstiles didn’t work and fans
couldn’t enter the stadium
EFL teams have also been targeted, with a game nearly
having to be postponed after a hack meant turnstiles didn’t work and fans
couldn’t enter the stadium
Paul Chichester, director of operations at the NCSC,
said: “Sport is a pillar of many of our lives and we’re eagerly anticipating
the return to full stadiums and a busy sporting calendar.
“While cyber security might not be an obvious
consideration for the sports sector as it thinks about its return, our findings
show the impact of cyber criminals cashing in on this industry is very real.
“I would urge sporting bodies to use this time to look
at where they can improve their cyber security – doing so now will help protect
them and millions of fans from the consequences of cyber crime.”
According to the report, around 30 per cent of
incidents caused direct financial damage, averaging around £10,000 each time,
with the biggest single loss being over £4million.
More than 70 per cent of those businesses surveyed
said they had experienced at least one incident in the past year, with 30 per
cent saying they had witnessed more than five in that time.
Credit: talksport.com/football
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