UEFA Euro Fans At High Risk Of Online Threats, Study Shows

A recent study of mobile Internet users during sporting events revealed that during the 2016 UEFA European Championship games, risks to digitally active sports fans from cyberattacks more than doubled. The "Allot Mobile Trends Report UEFA Euro 2016: How Sports Events Put Mobile Users at Risk" also highlighted a spike in threats during this period from ransomware, malware, and phishing.

The research, conducted by Allot Communications and Kaspersky Lab, involved a study of 1 million mobile subscribers' app and website usage during the games in countries participating in the championship. It discovered that almost 50% of  “casual fans” who became active fans during the games were at high risk for malware, and the time spent on social media during the games tripled from the pre-tournament scenario thereby increasing cybersecurity risk.

Access to online sports-betting sites also showed a significant rise during the matches with 1 in 4 visitors versus 1 in 9. This, too, increases cyber threats, the report adds.

"Users should be aware of potential threats and look out when clicking on links, entering their credentials on websites or making financial transactions,” said Alexander Karpitsky of Kaspersky Lab.

For full report, click here.