CW+ Premium Content/CW EMEA

Qatar hosts the FIFA World Cup this year – the first time the event has been staged in the Arab world. Cyber security experts in the country predict that ticketing, hotel bookings and restaurant reservations will be faked by hackers to capture personal data from people travelling to Qatar. Also, phishing and social engineering will be used to steal personal and financial information from anyone using the internet to get information about the tournament. “If there is anything we have learned about cyber crime from past encounters, it would be that it thrives around major global events,” said Mohammad Al-Kayed, director of cyber defence at Black Mountain Cybersecurity. “Both viewers and attendees are advised to keep their guard up for cyber threats in the form of online scams and malicious emails promoting the sales of tickets and sporting goods. The biggest threat of all is piracy of ongoing football matches through online platforms.” On 25 March, Interpol gathered a group of global cyber security experts together in Qatar to ...