Should the Sports World Start Worrying About Cyber Threats?

At first glance, the worlds of pro sport and cybersecurity seem to be completely unrelated. But, like anything else, sports are now heavily dependent on technology, and technology always comes with risks. Like any business, pro sports are also finding themselves dealing with all sorts of threats, and many leagues are not prepared for this. We can also expect sports leagues to become a bigger target for cybercriminals in the future who will exploit these vulnerabilities. So, should the sports world worry about cyber threats?

The Numbers

So, how big of an issue is cybersecurity in sports? Well, it’s a big one if we look at a UK study that was conducted by the National Cyber Security Centre. As it turns out, more than two thirds of all the sports teams in the country suffered a cybersecurity attack of harmful cyber activity in their last year. That’s more than double the rate of all businesses. So, sports teams are even more vulnerable to these threats.

Why and How are Sports Organizations Targeted?

One of the most alarming facts about the aforementioned study is that most teams were attacked using rudimentary techniques like phishing and password spraying. This means that they were more a question of negligence than anything. And, like with most cybersecurity attacks, the main goal is usually financial gain, with the biggest attack resulting in financial losses of over 5 million dollars.

While financial gain is the biggest motive, attacks can sometimes be government-sponsored and the most widespread attacks often had state sponsors behind them. One example is the huge WADA breach where Russian Military Intelligence stole private documents from the anti-doping agency and made them public. There was another attack on the 2018 Winter Olympics in Pyongyang which disrupted both the website and opening ceremony.

How are Teams Getting Prepared?

While many teams and leagues are still largely unprepared for cybersecurity threats, they’re not the only ones. There are many reasons to look forward to Super Bowl LV, including all the new cyber security measures that the league is implementing. The league deployed an extensive cybersecurity policy in 2019 that laid guidelines for teams to follow.

When it comes to the NFL, money is not the biggest motive for cyber-attacks. There are usually two main assets to protect: the playbook and injuries. To protect the playbook, players are often given secured iPads with plays in them. For injuries, teams like the Broncos went as far as creating their own electronic medical record system to keep players safe. This is because knowledge of an injury could push other teams to target the area and cause career-threatening injures for players.

That’s not the only thing teams are doing, however. Some have started beefing up their security by closely monitoring the activity on their networks. The increasing number of connected devices is making things difficult, and one team in the NFL is said to be using Dell’s SecureWorks to monitor activity, which is a step in the right direction.

Cybersecurity should be a priority for any sports league or pro team. They owe it to their fans and players, and they need to do everything they can to keep everyone’s information safe.