Sport Integrity Australia Unveils Cyber Safety Course Customised for Sports Organisations
In response to the escalating threat of cyberattacks and cybercriminals, Sport Integrity Australia has developed a Cyber Safety and Security in Sport course. This course is specifically tailored to help sporting communities navigate the complex landscape of cyber challenges, ultimately aiming to create a safer online environment for everyone involved in sport.
The course, developed with input from the Australian Signals Directorate’s Australian Cyber Security Centre (ACSC) and the eSafety Commissioner, provides users with the knowledge and skills to identify the cyber security risks facing their organisation and understand the potential impact of getting it wrong. It also provides guidance on what steps to take if they fall victim to a cyberattack.
In addition to this, the course focuses on how to protect accounts and devices and offers advice on responding to online abuse within the sports community. It utilises a range of case studies from sporting organisations around the world to give relevance to the cyber safety content. This includes much-needed education on online abuse in sport and integrity threats, such as match-fixing approaches.
Sport Integrity Australia Director of Education, Alexis Cooper, emphasised the relevance of cyber security for sporting organisations. "From grassroots clubs holding personal data through to national organisations hosting and participating in major international sporting events, inadequate cyber security can cripple sporting organisations,” she said.
The recent spate of damaging cyber-attacks in Australia underscores the importance of lifting cyber security. The average cost of a cyber security incident for a small business is now around $39,000 – a cost most sporting organisations cannot afford to bear. By educating sporting organisations on what to look out for and how to respond to cyber threats, the goal is to ensure more resilient data protection in the sporting sector.
Online abuse can take a significant toll on participants' mental health. Clubs often face personal, racist, and even violent abuse from disappointed fans. The eSafety Commissioner, Julie Inman Grant, highlighted the importance of addressing online abuse and provides support for reporting serious abuse through eSafety.gov.au.
The Cyber Safety and Security in Sport eLearning course takes approximately 45 minutes to complete and is available now on Sport Integrity Australia’s eLearning platform. It's a significant step towards a safer and more secure online sporting community and we highly recommend anyone involved with sporting communities of any size take the course. You can enroll here.