Waterloo cyber security company offers tips for staying cyber safe during the Super Bowl

Super Bowl Sunday is just a few days away, but a Waterloo-based cyber security company has its eyes on a behind-the-scenes showdown.

Cyber security experts at eSentire say they often see an uptick in cyber threats during large sporting events.

The threat intelligence team at eSentire has its defensive formations in place well ahead of the 'Cyber Bowl,' and is monitoring any potential threats for their clients.

“We’re going to identify it, we’re going to detect it and we’re going to respond to it. Then we’re going to kick the bad guys out of the network,” says Ryan Westman, senior manager of the threat intelligence unit.

His team says threats usually come from emails or attachments leading up to the big day.

“It presents a good opportunity for cyber criminals to design campaigns to specifically target users with these types of lures that can contain malware or malicious links,” Westman says.

Those links try to play off people’s interests, even if they aren’t interested in the game itself.

“Rihanna is going to be presenting at the half time show, find out who she’s bringing along at the half time show,” says Westman, as an example.

Before any malware has a chance to touch down, people are advised not to be fooled by the tempting links.

“My advice would be to go to a search engine, type in the information and see if there’s anyone else who’s providing that information through a legitimate source,” Westman says.

Cyber attacks can arise during the game too. While watching for free on a shady site may seem enticing, ad pop-ups could bring malware with them. The rise of sports betting is also being used against consumers.

“If you click on this link, we can give you extra credits for your sports betting app,” Westman says. “From a personal perspective it can also result in financial loss, data loss and loss of privacy.”

If you use your personal phone for work purposes that could open hackers up to private company information – something that would have any referee, or boss, wanting to throw the flag.

So it seems the best advice from cyber security experts is to be your own quarterback. Keep a watchful eye on the opponent, know their every move and tackle any threats. That way, you can be super secure during the Super Bowl.