The Super Bowl, the Winter Olympics, the World Cup—this year’s big sporting events are coming with security concerns. Rob Gregory, CISO at cybersecurity advisory firm Optiv, told IT Brew that because these events are huge “living digital experiences,” the threat surface is immense. Vendors and venue operators alike will have to manage the complexities of large crowds buying refreshments, tickets, and paraphernalia digitally, including biometrics. The scale of responsibility for IT pros and security experts is staggering. For even just one football game, Gregory said, the checklist is daunting. “In addition to vetting the vendors and technology that they’re using, the payment processor that they’re leveraging, they validated that that vendor has the correct credentials like PCI compliance and other third-party attestations,” Gregory said. “They know when their customers are using those mobile payment apps, that those services are secure, and their customer data and their own data, being a vendor themselves, are protected.” Why teamwork is needed on and off the field for sporting event security.—EH
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