sports Archives

Europol, the European Union’s law enforcement agency, is pictured at its headquarters building on June 24, 2020 in The Hague, Netherlands. (Photo by Yuriko Nakao/Getty Images)

European authorities crack down on illegal streaming networks

Officials said they dismantled nine organized crime groups and removed more than 27,000 URLs hosting live sports and other copyrighted media during a seven-month operation.

2 days ago By Matt Kapko

Egyptian police confiscated three laptops, four smartphones and Visa cards during an coordinated law enforcement action to shut down Streameast (Egyptian Police via ACE)

Streameast, world’s largest pirated live sports network, shut down by Egyptian authorities

An antipiracy coalition of entertainment companies applauded the takedown. The network’s two operators were arrested at their residences in Egypt.

Sep 3, 2025 By Matt Kapko

A guard looks out from behind a gate as a police officer patrols in front of a fenced in hotel being used as part of the closed loop management for people who have arrived for the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics and Paralympics on January 26, 2022 in Beijing. (Photo by Kevin Frayer/Getty Images)

APTs quiet ahead of Beijing games, but financially motivated hackers are still lurking, research says

Nation-state hackers might not want to get on China's bad side, but athletes, officials, volunteers and fans should watch their phones.

Jan 26, 2022 By Tonya Riley

Old Trafford, Manchester United’s stadium. The cyberattack on the famous soccer club’s IT systems is a window into the threats facing the sports sector (Flick/Paul)

Manchester United attack illuminates the cyberthreats facing an overlooked sports sector

“We’ve seen more and more football clubs and other high-profile sporting businesses targeted by things like ransomware,” former NCSC Director Ciaran Martin said.

Dec 1, 2020 By Sean Lyngaas

A soccer match at Anfield, home to Liverpool Football Club. A new report says British sporting organizations that are hacked could pay a heavy price for it. (Pixabay)

After hackers nearly stole $1M from soccer team, UK agency warns of sporting sector’s vulnerabilities

Another soccer team suffered a ransomware attack that cost the club hundreds of thousands of dollars.

Jul 23, 2020 By Sean Lyngaas

Fancy Bear Olympics — (Flickr / Andrew Magur)

Fancy Bear hackers targeted at least 16 athletic organizations ahead of Tokyo Olympics

Russia long has targeted world anti-doping organizations.

Oct 28, 2019 By Jeff Stone

Super Bowl 2019, Mercedes-Benz Stadium, Atlanta, — A U.S. Customs and Border Protection Air and Marine Operations UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter flies over Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta on January 30, 2019. (U.S. Customs and Border Protection / Glenn Fawcett / Flickr)

Here’s how DHS prepared to keep hackers out of the Super Bowl

The 2019 Super Bowl is likely the biggest cybersecurity operation for CISA since it got rebranded in November.

Feb 1, 2019 By Sean Lyngaas

PGA ransomware attack — The attack comes on the eve of the PGA Championship, one of golf’s four major tournaments. (Courtesy of PGA)

Report: PGA hit with ransomware attack on eve of major tournament

According to GolfWeek, PGA employees found they were locked out of systems Tuesday, with a message asking for bitcoin.

Aug 9, 2018 By Greg Otto