The National Basketball Association (NBA) has warned its fans of a data breach that exposed their personal information to an unauthorized third party.

The NBA said it discovered that an unauthorized party gained access to its fans’ names and email addresses from a third-party newsletter service.

The sports organization stated that the data breach did not compromise its internal IT systems or expose any other information such as usernames, passwords, or credit card information.

The NBA also advised fans to be vigilant of potential phishing attacks, only click links from legitimate sources, and never provide their account information or other sensitive information via email.

The NBA did not reveal the identity of the third-party newsletter service provider. However, it is not uncommon for newsletter services to be targeted due to the wealth of personal information stored on their systems.

This is not the first time the NBA has suffered a data breach. In April 2022, hackers leveraged the organization’s newsletter service to send crypto-related phishing messages.

How You Can Protect Your Business Against Data Breaches

Chris Close, a cybersecurity expert from Cyber Sleuth Security, a leader in security operations, was recently interviewed about data breaches and how businesses can prevent them.

"Data breaches are unfortunately a reality for businesses – especially those with online activities like e-commerce sites," said Chris. "However, there are steps that businesses can take to help protect their data from breaches."

When asked how businesses can help prevent data breaches, Chris said: "The first step is to ensure that the business has a strong cybersecurity system in place. This means having robust processes and technologies to protect the data, as well as a knowledgeable staff who can recognize potential security threats."

Chris went on to explain that businesses should also make sure that their systems are regularly updated and that they are using the latest security measures such as multi-factor authentication.

Finally, Chris stressed the importance of employee education: "It's important that all staff in a business are aware of the threats posed by data breaches and are trained on how to recognize and react to potential security incidents. This is key to ensuring that data breaches are prevented."

Source:

The NBA Leaked Fans’ Personal Information via Data Breach at Newsletter Service