With Super Bowl 2023 approaching this weekend, sports betting apps are being used at an all-time high. Mobile sports betting and fantasy applications have become very popular in the past few years, but with this, comes a growing cyber risk. Hackers target events like the Super Bowl because of the large number of users logging financial and personal information into betting apps. Although these apps are enjoyable for many, it is important to look out for any cyber threats.

During last year’s Super Bowl, The American Gaming Association estimated over 31 million Americans would make bets on the game. This totaled $7.6 billion on Super Bowl 56 alone. The major popularity in sports betting apps draw in hackers to attempt to pull off a successful cyberattack. The risks of downloading these apps comes from outdated open-source software it could have. These outdated components heighten the risk of being hacked. Outdated components are identified when being more than three years old. Studies have found some apps have components dating back to 2010. Along with these unsecure software’s, look out for phishing attacks. The attacks come through emails and texts you have connected to your account. You might come across various types of scams surrounding fake NFL related offers.

Researchers investigated the security of ten popular sports betting applications from the Google Play store. Each app averaged 10 vulnerable components and 179 vulnerabilities. Although these researchers did not reveal which specific apps they studied, they mentioned they were the most popular ones, hinting at which apps probably made the list.

All in all, people should be wary of cyber criminals taking advantage of their sports betting and fantasy apps. This popular time in sports is a prime target for hackers to make a move within the apps. Safely bet while you watch Super Bowl 57 unfold!

Do you have the Eagles or Chiefs winning Super Bowl 57?

Source; Cybersecurity Drive