Will the World Cup be safe? New report reveals sharp rise in cyberattacks targeting professional sports organizations

Darktrace report warns that AI amplifies cyber risks in professional sports
84% of clubs affected by incidents in the past year; 83% have seen AI used in attacks
Average cost of approximately $170,000 per incident, with repeated incidents resulting in annual losses of up to $1.7M

Modern sports clubs operate like most large businesses and, as such, are targets for cybercriminals. However, the risk posed by the use of AI is even more amplified in this sector than in others.

A new report from Darktrace examines how the security risk of AI is twofold: On the one hand, criminals are using the new tool to create convincing phishing lures, deepfakes, spoof brands and impersonate professional athletes. On the other hand, some sports clubs themselves are using AI without appropriate safeguards, creating a whole new risk surface that can be exploited.

According to Darktrace, this risk is amplified in professional sports “where live events, high-value data, public pressure, fixed schedules and vast networks of partners and suppliers all intersect at the same time to offer attackers maximum publicity, profit and potential impact.”

Rising costs

To create the report, Darktrace used telemetry data from sports organizations, as well as the results of a survey of 875 security decision-makers and influencers within professional sports organizations.

That being said, more than four in five (84%) professional sports organizations have experienced at least one cyber incident in the past 12 months, while more than half (57%) have been hit multiple times. Additionally, 83% detected the use of AI in these attacks, and 72% believe AI will increase cyber risks over the next year.

In terms of damages, a single incident now costs around $170,000. While that doesn’t seem like much for a high-revenue professional sports team, it’s worth mentioning that 57% of them were affected more than once and 43% reported between six and ten incidents in a single year. The cumulative annual cost can therefore reach $1.7 million.