The Royal Dutch Football Association (KNVB) has fallen victim to a cyberattack that resulted in the theft of personal data of its employees. The organization has reported the incident to the Dutch Data Protection Authority and is investigating the impact of the attack on its servers. The KNVB runs the country’s main soccer leagues, including the men’s and women’s national teams, and amateur leagues.
The incident raises concerns about the vulnerability of soccer institutions to cyberattacks. The National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) released a report in 2020 detailing several high-profile attacks on soccer teams and associations, including a ransomware attack on a Premier League team that severely damaged its corporate systems, nearly causing the cancellation of a game.
Hackers have also stolen millions of dollars from teams by breaking into email accounts of officials during transfer negotiations.
The KNVB did not comment on whether the incident involved ransomware or the number of employees affected.
However, the organization reassured that primary business operations, such as football games, will continue as planned.
The attack underscores the importance of cybersecurity measures for organizations handling sensitive personal and financial data, especially in the sports industry, where cyber threats have become increasingly prevalent.
