"Rising Cybersecurity Threats Target Major Sporting Events and Public Spaces"

Microsoft has highlighted the growing cybersecurity concerns for major sporting events, warning that the expanding cyber risk surface poses a threat to stadium operations. The company emphasized that valuable information related to athletic performance, competitive advantage, and personal data is at risk, with hospitals providing critical support and health services being targeted for ransomware attacks. To defend against such attacks, Microsoft recommends disabling unnecessary ports, securing apps and devices, patching point-of-sale devices, implementing logical network segmentations, and configuring systems before events. These efforts are crucial in deterring adversaries from exploiting poorly configured networks within large sporting event environments.