June 2023
Sport may be a national passion for millions of Australians, but that does not protect sporting organisations of any size from the mounting threat posed by cyberattacks and cybercriminals searching for easy wins.
Just as technologies are creating possibilities for clubs and sports, they also create opportunities for criminals to commit new crimes and to carry out old crimes in new ways.
The sophistication, impact and amount of cybercrime continues to grow and poses a serious and evolving threat to sporting organisations. In fact, a cyber breach happens every seven minutes, with the average cost of a cyber security breach for a small business $39,000.
Partnering with the Australian Signals Directorate’s Australian Cyber Security Centre (ACSC) and the eSafety Commissioner, Sport Integrity Australia has created a Cyber Safety and Security in Sport course to help people in sport understand the potential cyber security threats their organisation might face.
Designed to be completed by anyone working in a sporting organisation, the course is the first of its kind containing cyber security lessons specifically tailored to sporting environments for use by sporting organisations, clubs, athletes and support personnel at all levels.
The Cyber Safety and Security in Sport course will help users:
- Identify the cyber security risks facing their organisation, and the impact of getting it wrong.
- Identify what to do if they are hacked.
- Protect their accounts and devices.
- Understand what to do if someone in their sport suffers online abuse.
Sport Integrity Australia Director of Education Alexis Cooper says the course can help sporting organisations become more resilient to cyberattacks and provide them with an immediate ability to upgrade their cyber protection to protect their sport and their member. Cyber security for sporting organisations is more relevant now than ever before,” Ms Cooper says. “From grassroots clubs holding personal data through to national organisations hosting and participating in major international sporting events, inadequate cyber security can cripple sporting organisations.
“This course is the first of its kind, containing cyber security lessons specifically tailored to sporting environments so that they can immediately apply what they’ve learnt to their own clubs.”
The impact of cybercrime on a sporting organisation can include loss, corruption or theft of data, destruction of systems, theft (e.g. financial or identity), disruption of events, inappropriate access to surveillance materials, reputational damage and cyber abuse of athletes and participants.
The course utilises a range of case studies from sporting organisations around the world to give relevance to the cyber safety content.
“There are examples from across the sporting landscape from the English Premier League to international athletics meets all the way down to examples from community sporting clubs in Australia, to help educate sporting organisations on the scenarios they could face.”
eSafety research has found:
- 75% of adults have had a negative online experience
- 45% of children have been treated in a hurtful or nasty way online
- in 6 adults had done something negative online to others
Sport, too, is not immune. Many sporting organisations and events have reported on the prevalence of online abuse towards elite athletes. To understand the risk of online abuse in your sport, Ms Cooper says it’s good to have an understanding of just how broad your online environment is.
The course also highlights the much-needed inclusion of education on online abuse in sport and integrity threats, such as match-fixing approaches, she adds.
“Sadly, there are many negative experiences people endure online that are connected to their involvement in sport. To combat this, we have included information for sporting organisations on how to respond to situations involving online abuse."
“Social media direct messaging has also given match-fixers an easy avenue to approach athletes and administrators, so it’s important they be aware of how these approaches can occur and what to do if that happens.”
eSafety Commissioner Julie Inman Grant said online abuse can take an incalculable mental health toll on participants, especially when clubs find themselves facing a torrent of online abuse by disappointed fans.
“Some of the abuse we’re seeing is personal, racist, misogynistic, violent, even extending to death threats. This type of abuse is deeply harmful and can make participants feel unsafe, undermining their enjoyment and love of the game,” Ms Inman Grant said. “We want all Australians to know that eSafety is here as an online safety net and we have powers to remove serious online abuse.
“With the potential to help millions of sport-loving Australians, this online safety learning module will equip individual clubs with the knowledge and skills to support participants being abused online. This includes how to report serious abuse to eSafety.gov.au. I congratulate Sport Integrity Australia on its leadership and for taking a systemic approach to online safety education.”
As with most threats, the best response is to be prepared in the first place.
The Cyber Safety and Security in Sport eLearning course takes 45 minutes to complete and is available now on Sport Integrity Australia’s eLearning platform.
https://elearning.sportintegrity.gov.au
