Was UK’s 2018 FIFA World Cup bid hacked by Russia? FBI investigates

The FBI is reportedly investigating claims that the USA and English bids to host the 2018 soccer World Cup competition had their email accounts targeted by hackers.

According to media reports, FBI investigators have already questioned members of England’s failed bid team as part of a wider investigation into allegations of corruption around the bidding process.

Of course, any team which had an insight on the secret plans and communications of a rival bidding team would have an unfair advantage.

The English officials are not suspected of any wrongdoing, but – according to media reports – the FBI asked specific questions related to the activities of the Russian team.

Russia, who ultimately won the opportunity to host the 2018 FIFA tournament, has…

Read more in my article on the Naked Security website.

Found this article interesting? Follow Graham Cluley on Twitter or Mastodon to read more of the exclusive content we post.

Graham Cluley •   @gcluley

Graham Cluley is a veteran of the cybersecurity industry, having worked for a number of security companies since the early 1990s when he wrote the first ever version of Dr Solomon's Anti-Virus Toolkit for Windows. Now an independent analyst, he regularly makes media appearances and is an international public speaker on the topic of cybersecurity, hackers, and online privacy. Follow him on Twitter, Mastodon, Bluesky, or drop him an email.