Importance of Cybersecurity in Sports

How frustrated will you be if you miss an important football match because somebody hacked the server and you get no tickets??

The NCSC reported a case of ticket fraud involving fake Euro 2024 ticket websites. A lot of football fans have faced problems, and they haven’t gotten tickets from this unauthorized site and lost money as well.?

It is not limited to tickets, they can breach your personal data from the sports sites. Even, they breach the data of athletes and launch a ransomware attack! Sports icons don’t just need protection against physical harm, their data needs protection too. In this article, we will learn about the importance of cybersecurity in sports.?

Why do they Target Sports Entities?

The sports club, organization, or sportsperson will always be concerned about their reputation. Any cyber attack that can ruin their reputation will be a big threat, and they will easily pay money to get rid of it.?

The cyberattacks on the San Francisco 49ers and Manchester United highlight the vulnerability of the sports industry to cyber threats.?

Hackers often target well-known organizations like FIFA and Manchester United. They are aware of these organizations' value and assume they possess substantial funds to pay ransom demands.

What is the Need for Cybersecurity in Sports??

Data Protection

The sports organizations handle the crucial data of athletes and customers who are involved with an organization. The data such as financial information, fan data, and athletic data are sensitive. So, if any private data gets leaked it can be harmful.

Hackers can breach the data and fulfill their demands in exchange for the data. So, one needs to implement cybersecurity for the protection of sensitive data from unauthorized access, theft, and manipulation by cybercriminals.

The Operational Management

Sports operations must be managed carefully to ensure a smoother process. If anyone interrupts this operation it causes a major inconvenience. A cyber attack like hacking the server of an online ticket booking system might end up canceling or rescheduling the sports event.?

It causes financial loss to the organization and damages its reputation. So, for operational continuity, cybersecurity is important.?

Reputation

Losing millions of dollars can be recoverable, but reputational damage is a serious problem for any sports organization. To maintain the sports club one needs to keep a good reputation in the market.?

A cyberattack and fraud can damage the reputation and it can end up in financial loss and the loss of fan trust. Cybersecurity can help a sports organization to prevent such attacks or mitigate its impact.

Fans anticipate that their interactions with sports organizations will be safe and that their personal information will be safeguarded. By putting cybersecurity first and boosting engagement and profitability, sports organizations can gain and keep the trust of their fans. Additionally, this is essential for managing one's reputation.

Athlete Privacy

No athlete likes the privacy breaking. Any compromise in the privacy of an athlete can cause huge reputational damage to the athlete and its fans. Such breaches can also lead to emotional distress and psychological harm. Also, it can impact the professional career of the athlete.?

Key Cybersecurity Measures

Prepare in Advance

No, waiting for cybercriminals to attack and then taking action is not at all a good idea. You need to prepare in advance. Implement strong cybersecurity to protect the sports event beforehand. Ensure that you have solutions for all kinds of attacks possible.?

Learn from Past

Analyze the past cyberattacks. Check out the successful cyber defense in critical situations of cyberattacks. Also, focus on the successful cyberattacks and figure out why they succeed and how you can improve your cybersecurity to avoid this kind of attack in the future.?

Kick out Vulnerabilities

Close all the doors for hackers to attack. Scan the official sites and applications of the sports organization. Find out vulnerabilities and remove them to avoid the cyber attack.?

Protect Official App & Site?

The application and website of the sports club or an organization should be highly secure. Protect the official platforms to avoid any interruption in ticket selling or any online activity.?

Case Study: Paris Olympics 2024

The 2024 Paris Olympics faced a huge number of cyber threats, with over 140 incidents reported. Despite numerous attacks, including DoS attacks and a ransomware attempt on the Grand Palais venue, the Games remained operational due to robust cybersecurity measures.?

French authorities and ANSSI prepared extensively, implementing secure networks and real-time monitoring. A dedicated SOC and collaboration with partners like Cisco ensured the resilience of the Olympic infrastructure. While the attacks did not disrupt the Games, they highlighted the growing importance of cybersecurity in large-scale events.

Conclusion

Cybersecurity in sports is as crucial as the physical health of an athlete. No hackers should stop the exciting sports event and ruin the mood of fans. Implementing strong cybersecurity will allow you to safely operate sports events. It ensures there is no compromise in the data and privacy of athletes and fans. Build great trust in the audience with cybersecurity. Let's play fair, both on and off the field.