In the last couple of years, football clubs have suffered a spate of cyber incidents, ranging from Premiership names like Manchester United, Leeds United, to Champsionship sides like Bristol and Sheffield Wednesday.
The National Cyber Security Centre reports that 70% of UK sports organisations have suffered cyber incidents in the last 12 months, 30% of which reported incidentswhich have led to losses of over £10,000 with the largest single reported loss at over £4m.
Many major sports teams are now really global entertainment brands, nationwide sporting ambassadors and large databases of supporter information. Many sporting organisations facing loss of control of their social media presence or website and blog stand to lose control of a substantial proportion of their income making them vulnerable to all sorts of threats, including ransomware.
A recent report prepared by security consultancy NCC Group working alongside the University of Oxford and Phoenix sport and media group highlighted a lack of critical cyber security across the sector, leaving large sports clubs carelessly vulnerable to attack.
⚽ Why sports clubs are high risk targets of cyber crime:
- Valuable data at stake: Personal information, transfer negotiations, medical records, salary data; all desirable to cyber criminals seeking theft or leverage.
- High profile exposure: Clubs’ widescale advertising brands and public websites make them tempting targets for hackers.
- Catastrophic consequences: Without necessary cybersecurity qualifications in place clubs can suffer costly consequences, with a report conducted by NCSC reporting a single loss of over £4 million.
Obtaining cyberessentials accreditation for your sports club has never been more important. Fortunately, there are some simple, inexpensive measures you can take to fortify your club’s cybersecurity, improve your credibility to stakeholders, and attract supporters, including other potential business partners. Complysmart can help you.
💻 Benefits to sports clubs of Cyber essentials:
- Quick and cost effective protection: Clubs without large budgets can implement a robust set of policies without needing a comprehensive cybersecurity team.
- Demonstrates assurance to stakeholders: Shows commitment to protecting the club’s fan and player data whilst showing governance compliance with cyber essentials certification
- Crucial risk reduction: Staff awareness, controls enforcement, and incident prevention reduce risk of financial, operational and reputational damages.
Overall, achieving Cyber Essentials certification at your sports club through Complysmart is no longer a high cost-high time spent optional extra, but a cost effective, rapid deployment business imperative. Sign up to our portal today to protect your club from financial and reputational catastrophe and keep building the trust amongst your fan base.