LONDON: English Premier League clubs need to tighten up their cybersecurity measures according to a new report from Britain’s National Cyber Security Centre.

The NCSC warned that at least 70pc of sports institutions suffer a cyber incident every 12 months, which is more than double the average for UK businesses.

Of those affected, 30pc of the incidents resulted in financial damage at an average cost of £10,000 per incident with a staggering 4 million pounds lost in one case.

Ray Walsh, cybersecurity expert at ProPrivacy, said: “This report indicates that British clubs need to ramp up their cybersecurity efforts now, in order to protect themselves against cyberattacks designed to fleece them of tens of thousands of pounds.

“Football is big business and hackers understand that those in senior positions such as managing directors are a highly attractive target due to the funds they have access to.

“This means that anybody working in the industry must be trained to understand attack surfaces and cyberattack methodologies that could lead to data theft or fraud.

“The fact that the report states that 70pc of Britain’s sports institutions have been hacked in the last 12 months, reveals the severity of the cyber-security situation for UK sport.

“The report avoids pointing the finger at any actual perpetrators, and it seems likely that the threat to sports institutions is coming from a multitude of different hackers.”

** ProPrivacy, founded in 2013,  claims to be the leading resource for digital freedom. It’s mission is “to help users around the world reclaim their right to privacy through research, reviews, knowledge-sharing, investigations, and direct action.” ProPrivacy.com

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