Manchester United has confirmed that the club was under cyber attack on Friday ahead of their Premier League match against West Brom which will take place today, November 21. The club clarified that the club’s website and app were not affected during the cyber attack.
Though the Premier League giants could not confirm what the target of the hackers was, the club confirmed that the cyber attack would not by any means stop the club from hosting West Brom at Old Trafford today, 21:00.
According to a statement Manchester United issued to confirm the cyber attack, the hackers gained access into the club’s systems but the club is not “aware of any breach of personal data associated with” the club’s fans and customers.
United said since the attack, they have been experiencing IT disruption which they have been working with IT experts to solve and prevent subsequent attacks. The club alleged that the attack was carried out by professional hackers but the in-house protocols put in place successfully prevented a complete takeover of the club’s systems.
As of the time of publishing this report, an investigation into the cyberattack has started and Manchester United has informed Information Commissioner’s Office in the United Kingdom about the attack. The club has also commenced forensic tracing in an attempt to track the hackers.
The club’s statement read: “Manchester United can confirm that the club has experienced a cyber attack on our systems.
“The club has taken swift action to contain the attack and is currently working with expert advisers to investigate the incident and minimize the ongoing IT disruption.
“Although this is a sophisticated operation by organized cybercriminals, the club has extensive protocols and procedures in place for such an event and had rehearsed for this eventuality.
“Our cyber defenses identified the attack and shut down affected systems to contain the damage and protect data.
“Club media channels, including our website and app, are unaffected and we are not currently aware of any breach of personal data associated with our fans and customers.
“We are confident that all critical systems required for matches to take place at Old Trafford remain secure and operational and that tomorrow’s game against West Bromwich Albion will go ahead.”
Manchester United are currently 14th on the league table with 10 points from 7 league games. They have enjoyed 3 wins, 1 draw, and suffered 3 defeats so far this season.
