MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 23rd July, 2020) At least 70 percent of sports organizations in the United Kingdom suffer a cyberattack once every year, which is more than double the average for other businesses in the country, the National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) revealed in a fresh report.
"The National Cyber Security Centre's first ever report on threats to the sports industry has revealed it to be a high-value target - at least 70% of institutions suffer a cyber incident every 12 months, more than double the average for UK businesses," the report read.
The document provides a number of examples of recent cyberattacks targeting UK sports organizations, including blocked turnstiles, hacked transfer deals and fraudulent equipment sales.
According to the NCSC, the emails of a Premier League club's managing director were hacked before a transfer negotiation, and as a result, $1.3-million fee almost fell into the hands of cyberattackers. Another incident included an attack on the turnstiles of a UK soccer club, which almost led to the cancellation of a match.
"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," Paul Chichester, director of operations at the NCSC, said, as quoted in the report.
The NCSC has identified three common tactics used by cybercriminals to attack the sports sector, namely business email compromise, cyber-enabled fraud and attacks on electronic systems and infrastructure at sports facilities.
The NCSC also urged sports businesses to enhance their cybersecurity measures as the industry is recovering from the impact of the coronavirus pandemic.
The UK's current national security strategy is set to expire in 2021 and the UK government pays significant attention to the protection from cyberthreats since the country has one of the world's leading digital economies, making it especially vulnerable to constantly evolving cyberattacks.
UK officials often accuse foreign governments of cyberattacks targeting government structures. Earlier in July, for instance, the NCSC accused Russia-linked hackers of "almost certainly" having conducted cyberattacks on developers of COVID-19 vaccines in the United Kingdom, the United States and Canada. Russia has refuted the allegations.
