Super Bowl LVII Event Assessment
Introduction
Super Bowl LVII is slated to occur on February 12, 2023, at the State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Arizona, a Phoenix suburb. The matchup will feature the Philadelphia Eagles and the Kansas City Chiefs. This represents the fourth time that the Super Bowl has been hosted in the Phoenix area; the last time was in 2015. Super Bowl weekend will also coincide with the PGA Tour Phoenix Open in Scottsdale, AZ (about 30 minutes from the Super Bowl location), so the area is anticipated to be saturated with visitors from February 9-13, 2023.
As security preparations for the Super Bowl have progressed, one of the more notable developments has been the inclusion of cybersecurity professionals in those preparations in a much more integrated fashion than previously seen. While no credible cyber or physical threats have been identified prior to the event, this represents the awareness around the impact that a cyber event could have on the Super Bowl, and significant work has been done to prepare for various scenarios should an attack occur.
Betting associated with the Super Bowl is one of the most attractive vectors for targeting by threat actors. This event is anticipated to be the highest betting event in sports history, with wagers expected to be in excess of USD 1 billion. This presents an attractive opportunity for threat actors to obtain significant financial gain through scams and fraudulent mobile apps and websites. Other fraudulent activity identified involves fake accommodations leveraging well-known brands, fake tickets at “too good to be true” prices, and fake apps purporting to stream the game.