While in-person security might not be as necessary as in previous Super Bowls due to COVID-related crowd restrictions, cyber threats surrounding Super Bowl LV are potentially a greater concern this year.
To stay ahead of the issue, the Super Bowl Host Committee has partnered with cybersecurity firm ReliaQuest to secure all things virtual related to the big game.
"What we're looking for are the same thing we look for in a lot of environments: trying to correlate different feeds from different websites, different applications, things that are both on-premise there in and around the event, how things are being talked about out online, some of the point of sales systems outside of the stadium and around the host committee activities," Brian Murphy, ReliaQuest CEO, told Cheddar.
The firm has a number of responsibilities as game day inches closer, including scouring the internet and dark web for potential “bad actors” as well sifting between "good activities" and those that stand out as unusual. “You’re essentially looking for that needle in a haystack,” Murphy said.
“There’s so many different ways to engage with information. You’ve got people watching the event on mobile phones, they’re watching on standard PCs, they’re in third-party restaurants, in their homes, they’re engaging on social media, and so it’s understanding all of the different places that event is being hosted,” he added.
For cybersecurity companies, the pandemic has made an already difficult job “a little bit more challenging,” according to the CEO, but he's confident in the "team" effort being made by ReliaQuest, the NFL, and the Tampa Bay host committee to maintain a secure event.
