Network Security, Threat Management

It’s FIFA World Cup season, do you know where your cybersecurity pros are?

With nearly half the world watching the 2018 FIFA World Cup, which kicks off today, odds are several security professionals will be looking to sneak a peak at the games, which could be bad for the security of your business. LastLine researchers surveyed 326 professionals and found 30 percent of them suggested they would wait until after a crucial match to fix an urgent corporate security issue, according to a June 11 blog post.

Fortunately, 83 percent don't believe that the FIFA World Cup poses a risk to their organization, however, 72 percent of them believe a cyberattack against the event in the form of a DDoS attack, social media channel hack, email correspondence or mobile threats is likely.

“With DDoS attacks on global sporting events including this year's Winter Olympics in South Korea being the new normal, it's hardly surprising that further attacks are being forecast for the FIFA World Cup that kick-off today,” Andrew Lloyd, President of Corero Network Security said. “Given current geo-politics, the football World Cup does present an opportunity for Nation State-sponsored attacks on political foes that will make Eurovision tactical voting look like a playground scuffle.

Lloyd noted that the opening ceremony is followed by a Russia vs. Saudi Arabia match that will likely pique interest in Iran and elsewhere.

Live broadcast streams and highly lucrative in-game betting are also risk areas with a higher commercial impact that further add to the pressure on digital enterprises to invest in real-time defenses that automatically detect and mitigate attacks so that they can stay online and open for business during a cyber-attack.

During the 2014 FIFA World Cup, 3.2 billion people watched at least one minute of a match during the month-long tournament with no signs of slowing down for the 2018 World Cup.

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