FIFA Ready for Hacker Attack

Avaya, FIFA’s networking partner, is expecting hackers to launch attacks against the World Cup’s networks, CNET reports.

Roger Jones, Avaya’s business development manager for Europe, told CNET that he expects computer users to attempt denial-of-service attacks. This type of attack was unsuccessful at the 2002 World Cup, 2003 Women’s World Cup and the Confederations Cup.

Previously, Jones told a group of reporters that Avaya had hired a group of white hat hackers to test the strength of the network, CNET reports.

Mike Kelly, the head of IT Solutions for FIFA, told CNET that a security team from Avaya and Deutsche Telekom also extensively tested the network’s resilience in a number of scenarios. In a brief interview, he was “extremely confident” that FIFA and its partners were taking all measures to prevent attacks, the article states.

According to Jones, the tournament’s IT command center, based in Munich, would have network security specialists on hand constantly. However, CNET reports that he declined to reveal which vendors were involved in security, including the provision of intrusion prevention and virus-scanning software, for the network.

For more information, read Security Watch at the World Cup.

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Compiled by Paul Kerstein