The National Center for Spectator Sports Safety and Security (NCS⁴) at The University of Southern Mississippi (USM) announces a three-part Cybersecurity Webinar Series to discuss recommendations and best practices for cybersecurity and mitigating risk.

The webinar series is presented in partnership with the Department of Homeland Security’s Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) and NCS⁴’s Technology Alliance. The webinars are aired live and are free to attend.

“With technology rapidly changing, it has never been more important for organizations to protect networks, systems, hardware, and data from cyberattacks,” said Daniel Ward, NCS⁴’s Director of Training & Exercise.

The FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3), which provides the public with a trustworthy source for reporting information on cyber incidents, received 791,790 complaints for all types of internet crime — a record number — from the American public in 2020, with reported losses exceeding $4.1 billion. This represents a 69 percent increase in total complaints from 2019.

With a large number of fans, communities, and organizations heavily invested in sporting events, venues have become an ideal target for cybercrime. Cybercriminals are very attuned to global sporting events and take advantage of the spectators’ and industries’ reliance on technology. These damaging attacks often lead to financial losses, information theft, and reputation damage.

Session one of the series entitled An Overview of Cybersecurity Threats and Best Practices is scheduled for Thursday, Oct. 14 at 2 p.m. (CDT) and presented by Scott Breor, CISA’s Associate Director, Office of Security Programs, Infrastructure Security; and Mark McIntyre, CISSP, CCSP, Microsoft’s Senior Director/Chief Security Advisor, Security Solutions Area.

In the session, panelists will discuss cyber threats and the unified work necessary to strengthen the security, resilience, and workforce of the cyber ecosystem at sport and special event venues and infrastructure. Panelists will also identify best practices and recommendations for maintaining cyber hygiene and prioritizing risks.

To register for the first session, visit https://register.gotowebinar.com/register/552498413564915211.

Details on sessions two and three of the series will be announced soon.