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When a Premier League club was targeted by hackers, almost lost £1 million
An English Football League club also suffered a significant ransomware attack which crippled their corporate and security systems. As a result of the attack the CCTV and turnstiles at the ground were unable to operate, almost leading to a fixture cancellation.
A cyber-security wing of the British intelligence agency GCHQ has revealed that the UK’s sports sector has become a ‘high-value target’ for cyber criminals, who, in one instance, almost walked away with nearly £1 million during a Premier League transfer season.
The National Cyber Security Centre has revealed that sports organisations experience more cyber attacks than companies. Its first such review concludes that nearly 30% of the incidents caused financial damage, averaging £10,000 each time; the biggest single loss was over £4 million.
During the transfer negotiation with an overseas football team, the centre said the email address of the managing director of the club was hacked by cyber criminals. Only a late intervention from the bank prevented the club losing almost £1 million.
The centre’s report focussing on the sports sector, titled ‘Cyber Threat to Sports Organisations’, says that in another instance, an employee at an organisation which holds athlete performance data had email address compromised, allowing hackers access to sensitive information over several months.
The report does not identify the geographical location or source of the cyber attacks.
An English Football League club also suffered a significant ransomware attack which crippled their corporate and security systems. As a result of the attack, the CCTV and turnstiles at the ground were unable to operate, almost leading to a fixture cancellation.
The centre said that a member of staff at a UK racecourse identified an item of grounds keeping equipment for sale on eBay, and agreed to a price of £15,000. The sale turned out to be fraudulent – a spoofed version of eBay had been created.
The centre identified three common tactics used by criminals to assault the sector on a daily basis. These are: business email compromise, cyber-enabled fraud, and ransomware being used to shut down critical event systems and stadiums.
Paul Chichester of the NCSC said: ““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”.
Hugh Robertson, chair of the British Olympic Association, added: “Improving cyber security across the sports sector is critical. The British Olympic Association sees this report as a crucial first step, helping sports organisations to better understand the threat and highlighting practical steps that organisation should take to improve cyber security practices.”
