English Football Club Manchester United Suffers Cybersecurity Breach
One of the biggest football clubs in the UK, Europe, and the world suffered a cyberattack that hit its internal systems. Manchester United, the most decorated English side with 20 league titles, revealed the news on Friday evening, one day before their Premier League clash against West Bromwich Albion. The club said it took immediate action to address the incident and contain the attack, but didn’t disclose whether hackers managed to steal personnel, fans, or store customer data. However, it added that it would continue to investigate with the help of “expert advisers” to “minimize the ongoing IT disruption.”
In their statement, Manchester United said that the cyber intrusion didn’t affect their primary channels, i.e., their official apps and website. Furthermore, all critical systems for matches at Old Trafford (the club’s stadium) are still operational and secure, and the game against West Bromwich Albion proceeded as scheduled. “Although this is a sophisticated operation by organized cybercriminals, the club has extensive protocols and procedures in place for such an event and had rehearsed for this risk,” Manchester United officials said. “Our cyber defenses identified the attack and shut down affected systems to contain the damage and protect data.”
Man Utd isn’t the only major British football side to fall victim to cyberattacks. Liverpool FC, the second-most decorated club in Britain with 19 league titles, also suffered a breach in July 2018. The attackers managed to infiltrate Liverpool’s IT network and steal fan-related information. Other football clubs in the country were also hit with security breaches. According to a report from the National Cyber Security Center, BEC scam and spear-phishing campaigns targeted football sides in an attempt to hijack payments.
On the same night of Manchester United’s attack, which was carried out by “organized cybercriminals,” four female British athletes had their explicit photos and videos stolen from their devices and leaked on the dark web.
Individuals who use a virtual private network reduce the chances of getting hacked and eliminate privacy intrusions. These anonymity tools encrypt online traffic and mask IP addresses, which also helps users avoid geo-blocks and access restricted content from anywhere.
