Linn Foster Freedman

In a recently released report titled Cybersecurity in Global Sport: Threats, Signals, and Strategic Implications for a Digitized Industry, cybersecurity firm Darktrace has outlined “the current challenges the global sporting sector faces and…forward-looking views on future challenges as AI increasingly becomes adopted across the sector.”

I apologize that this post is not light reading. It’s critically important to know what the threats are so you can avoid becoming a victim. Although disconcerting, it is crucial to know what has happened in the first half of this year. TechCrunch recently issued a report outlining the worst breaches of 2026—so far:

Connecticut Attorney General William Tong announced in the past week that his office has entered into two settlements focused on the privacy of consumer data.

The Department of Justice has issued a press release announcing that it has agreed to settle its allegations that TikTok and its parent company, ByteDance violated the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA).

The Enforcement Bureau of the FCC recently issued a Notification of Suspected Illegal Traffic to RGTN USA Inc. (RGTN) for “transmitting apparently illegal calls originating from abroad, including spoofed calls, fraudulent robocalls, and calls conveying false emergencies.” Vishing attacks have increased over the past year and have been surprisingly successful. To combat this growing problem, it is heartening to see the FCC Enforcement Bureau take action.

On August 18, 2026, the Cybersecurity & Infrastructure Security Agency, Federal Bureau of Investigation, and U.S. Department of Health & Human Services issued an update to a previous advisory to the health care industry warning against Medusa ransomware. The advisory provided tactics, techniques, and procedures as well as the indicators of compromise gathered to assist with response and remediation.

This week, Apple notified customers in 110 countries around the world (150 countries to date) that they “may have been targeted with spyware capable of hacking into their devices.” Apple notifies users “directly on their iPhone lock screen with a push notification that urges the person to take action.” The threat alert will read “Apple detected a mercenary spyware attack targeted at your iPhone.

The current statistics on how many people upload their medical information into a generative AI tool are staggering. It is clear to me that people are unaware of the risks of doing so, and if you are contemplating sharing your medical information with a generative AI tool, like ChatGPT, Gemini or Claude, please read this first.

An advisory issued jointly this week by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, Department of Defense Cyber Crime Center, National Security Agency, U.S. Secret Service, and the Republic of Korea’s National Police Agency alerted organizations about an emerging threat from the Gunra ransomware group and provided guidance on detection and mitigation.

The families of four teenagers who died by suicide recently sued Meta, TikTok, Snapchat, and YouTube, alleging that the teenagers’ use of the platforms over many years was addicting, and caused sleep deprivation, depression, anxiety, and suicidal ideation.