In a statement about the cyberattack, the basketball team says: “Our investigation is ongoing, but it appears that the unknown actors attempted to install ransomware on certain internal systems at the Rockets. However, our internal security tools prevented ransomware from being installed except for a few systems that have not impacted our operations” (as quoted in the Houston Chronicle).
The Rockets also said they would notify anyone affected if they find personal information was involved in the incident. With the attack, a hacker group called Babuk are reported to have stolen 500 gigabytes of the Rockets’ data. The incident has led to an investigation by the FBI.
Looking into the Houston Rockets attack for Digital Journal is Paul Martini, the CEO of cloud cybersecurity company, iboss.
Martini compares the breach to a past attack against Major League Baseball team the Houston Astros and calls on other teams to take precautions to prevent a devastating hack.
According to Martini: “Houston sports fans may be feeling déjà vu with the recent news that the Rockets have been targeted with a ransomware attack. The Astros experienced a breach a few years ago, but that was carried out by a rival team trying to gain a competitive advantage.”
With this latest attack, Martini notes: “In this case, it seems like the Rockets dodged a much more serious bullet by having good cybersecurity posture and the tools in place to detect the attempt before it could cause any disruption.”
With the attack specific mode, Martini cautions: “Ransomware attacks have the capability of extorting organizations for millions and hackers can get their hands on highly sensitive information.”
And with the wider lessons beyond sports, Martini cautions: “Regardless of how well you can play defense on the court, all organizations need to prioritize cybersecurity to ensure they are well prepared to protect and defend against any type of threat.”
