Manchester United working with infosec experts to 'minimize ongoing IT disruption' caused by 'cyber attack'

Manchester United is working with infosec pros to "minimize the ongoing IT disruption" that it says was caused by an assault on its tech systems. The New York Stock Exchange-listed football business confirmed the incident last night but didn't clarify the technical nature of it, and refused to answer questions posed by The …

[Disgusted Of Tunbridge Wells]

> As such, today's game against West Bromwich Albion took place as scheduled.

Took place? It better not have, I'm watching it at 8pm tonight.

[Martin Summers]

Your username would suggest that you know exactly what to do if it did get changed without notice.

[Disgusted Of Tunbridge Wells]

Is Royal Tunbridge Wells known for its bonfires?

[Martin Summers]

Well, providing the fuel for one I guess.

[Disgusted Of Tunbridge Wells]

My comment was a reference to a Man Utd fan chant about the (hated) CEO and owners.

Build a bonfire, build a bonfire, put the Glazers on the top, put Ed Woodward in the middle and burn the f*cking lot.

[Doctor Syntax]

Why just stop at one of them?

No, not a fan, why do you ask?

[Anonymous Coward]

Rehearsed?

That sounds like the kind of line to come out of a manager that rewrote what he heard from another manager who asked the IT guy what to say.

[Khaptain]

High tech attacks

""While details of this incident are unclear, since the outbreak of COVID-19 we have seen numerous examples of hackers capitalising on the crisis by using social engineering attacks to trick their way into corporate systems."

After a deep analysis and audit it was found that there were at least three emails recivzd by upper management that contained confidential information from Nigerians offering large sums of money in return for a simple task. The audit did not successfully manage to determine who actually opened the attachment but is was noted that the high end laptop was used by someonz at the CEO level or above.

[FlamingDeath]

Re: High tech attacks

So basically your average garden variety sociopath

Apparently they’re supposed to have above average IQ

BWaahahahaaa

[Anonymous Coward]

Re: High tech attacks

Your average Internet user can spot a Nigerian scam a mile off because the amounts of money involved are so ridiculously high.

The average football club manager or agent can spot a Nigerian scam a mile off because the amounts of money involved are so ridiculously low.

[Disgusted Of Tunbridge Wells]

Re: High tech attacks

The only reason Ed Woodward didn't send them any money is because he was still negotiating it upwards.

£1m you say? We've got loadsamoney! How about £5m?

[Anonymous Coward]

Why inform the Information Commissioner’s Office if no information has been taken? They aren't the Police, they don't investigate these things until there is an actual breach. Why even announce it at all?

[Doctor Syntax]

Because they're local and they seem to have something to do with this cyber attack stuff.

[Anonymous Coward]

My thoughts exactly... you don't need to talk to the ICO unless there is thought to be a breach affecting the sort of data the ICO worries about - personal. And even then there are cases when it doesn't have to be notified.

"we are not currently aware of any breach of personal data associated with our fans or customers"

No need to call the ICO then...

Telling fibs or the experts they have brought in are umm not very expert?

[MJB7]

Why call the ICO?

Probably because they can't yet *prove* that no information has leaked. There is no downside to telling the ICO the outlines of what they know, and considerable upside if it turns out they are wrong and information *has* leaked.

[FlamingDeath]

Re: Why call the ICO?

The question in my mind, did the callers manage to catch the ICO in-between their golf sessions?

[Anonymous Coward]

Re: Why call the ICO?

It's possible I suppose for a well set up organisation with a clear definition of what they do and how they achieve the aims set out but this is the ICO.

[Anonymous Coward]

GDPR

If there is a breach, breach reporting rules are set out in article 19. You do not need to report every incident relating to a lapse in security or integrity of a trust service. However, where you have reason to believe that an incident has or is likely to have a significant (more than minimal) impact on the trust service or the personal data you hold, you need to:

- notify the ICO;

- consider whether to notify your users; and

- consider whether to inform anyone else who might be affected.

If you are not sure about whether the impact of an incident is significant or not, it is safer to report the breach.

You must notify the ICO within 24 hours of becoming aware of the breach, or sooner if it’s reasonable to do so.

[FlamingDeath]

Social engineering techniques

Click here for the chance to win a free iPad”

Technique you say?

No amount of technical mitigations can save someone from themselves

2FA you say?

Yeah the fucking dumb muppets will provide that as well

I had to pass several tests before being allowed to be in control of a potentially dangerous weapon, the car

Meanwhile, Mike from sales and Jill from Marketing already use a computer at home so of course they know what they’re doing....

[Doctor Syntax]

Re: Social engineering techniques

Provide a separate lan with its own separate internet connection for them then even if when someone gets control of one of their PCs they can only get at the rest of them so no damage done.

[NightFox]

Re: Social engineering techniques

Is an 'Ian' an IT version of a Karen?

[Aussie Doc]

Wow

That was a lot of cybering in one article.

Might grab a glass of cyber, erm, cider myself -------------------------->

[Anonymous Coward]

"In its Annual Report for fiscal year 2000, Man U said that as a high profile business its IT systems are at risk of attack."

You'd have though they would have plenty of time to prepare then!

[Ian Johnston]

"All critical systems required for matches to take place at Old Trafford remain secure and operational," it added. As such, today's game against West Bromwich Albion took place as scheduled.

A spokesman for the club said there was nothing further to add at this stage and as such would not answer questions we asked about the variant of threat the club was forced to defend itself against.

If there is one group which needs to be shunned by society even more than people who refer to "myself", it's people who use "as such" when they mean "therefore".

[Anonymous Coward]

"In its Annual Report for fiscal year 2000, Man U said its IT systems are at risk of attack."

Incredible foresight! :D

[Anonymous Coward]

People are idiots

It'll be ransomware and it'll be a dumb as a rock email that got them. However I await the standard declaration of it being, "a sophisticated cyber attack" and that "we take the protection of our customer's personal data very seriously".

I have the senior members of staff (the board) being phished for their credentials regularly. Will they undergo even the most basic of training for 30min? No, of course they won't; but they all take cyber security 'very seriously' and are happy for it to sit right up high on the risk register as long as nothing about it ever bothers them.

[Falmari]

The set piece

Ransomware via an email that's the problem, United's defence are notoriously weak to the the set piece.

[Danny 2]

VAR realtime deepfake

"The handball rule you can discuss over and over but we get into the box and the ball into feet - so with VAR, a touch can be enough and it's different to when I was playing when you had to be hacked down." ~ Ole Gunnar Solskjaer