"Qatar World Cup Firms Urged to Upgrade Cyber-Threat Model"

Security researchers at Digital Shadows are warning organizing bodies and key partners of the FIFA World Cup in Qatar to enhance their resilience against a potential barrage of cyber threats.  The researchers collected threat data on the event over a 90-day period.  The researchers claimed that the world’s most-watched sporting event would invite scrutiny from various threat actors.  The researchers noted that scams could present themselves in many forms.  For example, financially motivated threat actors often plant malicious URLs spoofing these events to fraudulent sites, hoping to maximize their chances of scamming naive internet users for a quick profit.  The researchers noted that at the same time, hacktivist groups may exploit the public attention given to such events to exponentially increase the reach of their message.  The researchers stated that state-sponsored advanced persistent threat (APT) groups may also decide to target global sporting events like the Qatar 2022 World Cup to achieve state goals.  The researchers are urging organizations to take a risk-based approach to cybersecurity ahead of the event, focusing on cyber-hygiene best practices such as regular patching, multi-factor authentication (MFA), and phishing awareness.  The article continues to discuss the key risks to the organizing body and key partners of the FIFA World Cup.  

Infosecurity reports: "Qatar World Cup Firms Urged to Upgrade Cyber-Threat Model"