Cybersecurity

How the World Cup plays out among hackers

The World Cup begins today in Russia, and hackers are watching the games.

Why it matters: In prior years, Cybersecurity firm Akamai has seen declines in cyberattacks while the World Cup games are in play — "at least until games are out of reach," said Patrick Sullivan, Akamai director of security technology.

Once games are well in hand, attacks from the losing team's nation spike well above normal. Often, said Sullivan, that takes the form of attacks designed to take down news stories in the victor's country that tout a home-team win.

Hacktivists: Sullivan notes activists frequently use various forms of cyber attacks during major sporting events to protest the host nation — often targeting sponsors to get their point across. He points to protestors upset with the amount of money spent in the recent Brazillian World Cup as an example.

• But threat intelligence firm Flashpoint tells Codebook there is little credible chatter from activists looking to use the Russian games as a soapbox this year.