When the Biggest Opponent Isn’t on the Field: Cyber Threats in Sports

Sports teams are built on various things: passion, teamwork, and competition. But these things have something in common. Technology is all necessary to ensure that they can function properly. Digital ticket apps, player performances, and front office communications all use technology on and off the field of play. This connectivity brings about huge opportunities. However, this connectivity can bring about a lot of opportunities for cybercriminals to attack professional sports franchises.

Globally, recognized franchises are all on the radar of cybercriminals. This is not just a computer problem. These attacks can disrupt business and management operations, endanger sensitive information within an organization, damage reputations, impact game day experiences, and affect the safety of players, staff, and fans. Comprehensive cybersecurity policies are no longer optional for sports teams and this is why. They have become essential to ensure that the chance of a cyber attack is limited.

Organizations within sports handle an enormous amount of sensitive information. For example, in hockey, you rarely learn the real injury. Likely, fans and outsiders will hear it is an “upper” or “lower” body injury. What would happen if the real terms of the injury came out? Medical and performance data, scouting reports, financial records, large statistics and information about fans, internal messaging, and other sensitive information is what these organizations aim to protect. A simple ransomware attack could easily shut down stadium and ticketing operations. Perhaps an employee receives a phishing email that could trick anyone. Simply clicking on it could leak credentials and secret information to the cybercriminal. Even a social media account being hacked could damage the reputation of a team forever. The sports world has changed from just being on the physical field to on the cybersecurity field.

Now, cybersecurity is more than just software and firewalls. Also, it is just as much about the people. The most advanced systems in the world can fail at any time. Sometimes, it is up to the average person to protect themselves from these online threats. “Cyber hygiene” is known as the practice of maintaining healthy habits online. This can be compared to an athlete’s physical conditioning. Tiny, yet consistent actions can allow you to stay healthy in the digital world.

For example, a good and healthy habit to have is creating unique, and specifically strong passwords. Using common passwords or repeating the same one you use on either platform is simply not safe. This is because a breach on one site can lead to a breach on the other if you use this same password. Additionally, multi-factor authentication adds another level of protection to your online presence. This additional step of verification such as a mobile code ensures that accounts may stay safe, even if one’s password is leaked or compromised. 

Furthermore, being aware of phishing scams is extremely critical. Cybercriminals will often send simple emails or texts that seem innocent. They appear to come from popular companies that you likely know. Maybe it’s the company that created your favorite game, or your favorite store, or a fake text from someone you know. No matter what method they use, they will likely request sensitive information. This should immediately cause alarm in your head. You should verify that these suspicious messages are through the official channels instead of directly responding to the message you received. This will prevent major damage.

Another important element of cyber hygiene can involve protecting personal devices. Coaches and players often rely on smartphones or tablets for communication on and off the field. If you turn on a football game, players on the bench are often using tablets to review and analyze their play. These devices likely use updated software, automatic security patches, and lock screens that deny or prevent unauthorized access. If even just one of these devices is left open and unattended, anyone can take them and reveal significant data.

Public Wi-Fi may also present different risks. Professional sports teams often travel to airports and then to hotels. These common stops have public networks that the players and staff may connect to. But these may lead to them being vulnerable to attacks. If possible, sensitive activity should be avoided when connecting to Wi-Fi available to the public. Try to use mobile data or a trust and secure connection. 

Social media is something that everyone has. Having awareness on social media is only something some people have. A harmless post of a player’s location, the team facilities, or personal details are something cybercriminals love to see and hear. Think before you post. It can protect you and others around you from harm over the internet. 

A winning culture online leads to a winning culture on the playing field. Having leadership, training, and a great culture on the field leads to success. This is the same with cybersecurity. If you have someone who leads the online portion of work with great care, you will have success. A trained mind is on the internet, it can limit the chance of cyber attacks. And having a great culture of not spreading private information on social media helps to maintain that amazing culture. These aspects allow people’s jobs to be a lot easier, whether online or not.

Overall, cybersecurity is about trust. Fans trust organizations with their information. Players trust management to control how much the public knows about their finances and personal data. Management trusts the operations can run smoothly without worry on gameday. Technology continues to shape the world. Having good cyber hygiene allows many sports franchises to stay safe on the internet. If you maintain your own cyber hygiene, you can stay safe as well.