Social Media Platforms Facebook and Instagram Suffered Hacks; Manchester United Faces Cyber Threats
The team's offensive strategy on the pitch has been criticized recently due to a scarcity of goals, but it appears that the hackers who breached Manchester United's Facebook and Instagram accounts late Friday had better luck. The club cautioned fans against participating in any dubious activities associated with fan tokens, as a counterfeit $REDDEVILS token was being advertised. "We are working to rectify the issue and will keep you updated once resolved," the club stated.
According to The Metro, the team's "official Instagram and Facebook pages were infiltrated by scam posts promoting a crypto 'fan token'..." A post on United's official Facebook page at 19:38 GMT urged supporters to buy a fan token named '$REDDEVILS'. In return, fans were promised rewards such as "exclusive, limited-edition merchandise" and "VIP fan experiences".
The post was swiftly removed, but The Metro was still able to access it late Friday evening. A Redditor reported on the Manchester United Discord server, "It seems their account has been hacked and has been used to scam people."
Manchester United has previously faced a cyberattack, with the UK's NCSC assisting them out of a more serious predicament in 2020. The club stated, "Extensive protocols and procedures, along with our robust cyber defenses, identified the attack and shut down affected systems to limit the damage and safeguard data." No breach of fan or customer data was reported at the time. All essential systems required for matches at Old Trafford remain secure and functional.
Social media speculation suggests that the hack may have resulted from a lack of multi-factor authentication and other basic security measures on its social media platforms rather than a more sophisticated attack. Such attacks on social media are distressingly common. We await further confirmation. It serves as a timely reminder for everyone, regardless of size, to prioritize basic security measures such as 2FA, authenticator apps, and passkeys, if possible.
I reached out to Manchester United for comment, but they are likely preoccupied with preparing for tomorrow's local derby against Manchester City. City is currently experiencing their worst run of form under manager Pep Guardiola, losing seven of their last ten games. Their latest defeat came against Italian side Juventus mid-week. United fans are hoping to extend City's misfortune to an astonishing eight losses out of eleven.
There has been a noticeable improvement in performance under new manager Ruben Amorim, and fan enthusiasm has increased significantly. Let's hope this scam doesn't dampen their spirits too much.
Reuben Amorim and his team might want to focus on the Manchester derby preparation, given Manchester United's upcoming match against Manchester City. Despite City's current poor run under Pep Guardiola, with seven losses in their last ten games, United fans are hopeful for an extended streak of misfortune.
The hack on Manchester United's social media accounts, promoting a fan token scam, could potentially affect the team's morale, especially considering the positive changes under Amorim and increased fan enthusiasm.
In light of the recent cyberattack, managing director Richard Arnold has emphasized the importance of implementing basic security measures like multi-factor authentication and authenticator apps to prevent such incidents in the future.
