Many are still leaving the door open': Security experts warn FIFA World Cup partners could be putting customers at risk of email attacks

Date:
Thu, 16 Apr 2026 17:35:00 +0000

Description:
Some World Cup partners are not actively protecting their domain name with
the strongest DMARC policy.

FULL STORY ======================================================================Copy link Facebook X Whatsapp Reddit Pinterest Flipboard Threads Email Share this article 0 Join the conversation Follow us Add us as a preferred source on Google Newsletter Tech Radar Pro Are you a pro? Subscribe to our newsletter Sign up to the TechRadar Pro newsletter to get all the top news, opinion, features and guidance your business needs to succeed! Become a Member in Seconds Unlock instant access to exclusive member features. Contact me with news and offers from other Future brands Receive email from us on behalf of our trusted partners or sponsors By submitting your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over. You are
now subscribed Your newsletter sign-up was successful Join the club Get full access to premium articles, exclusive features and a growing list of member rewards. Explore An account already exists for this email address, please log in. Subscribe to our newsletter Proofpoint warns 36% of FIFA World Cup partners lack strong DMARC protections Weak email security leaves fans and sponsors exposed to spoofing and fraud Only 64% enforce reject policy,
meaning many domains still vulnerable to impersonation With the 2026 FIFA World Cup right around the corner, cybercriminals will no doubt be looking ti capitalize on interest for identity theft, scams, and wire fraud - and security researchers at Proofpoint have noted they wont have a difficult time pulling it off, since many World Cup partners are not doing enough to protect their online identities.

In a research report shared with TechRadar Pro, Proofpoint said more than a third (36%) of official sponsors, suppliers, partners, and supporters, dont have the necessary email security measures in place to help them defend from domain impersonation. This may expose fans, customers, and partners to an increased risk of email fraud that impersonates trusted brands, the researchers said. Article continues below You may like Who are the most spoofed brands in phishing scams? Let's be honest, you can probably guess
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here's what you need to know 'Digital squatting' hits new levels as hackers target brand domains What is DMARC? The company analyzed the level of
adoption of Domain-based Message Authentication, Reporting and Conformance (DMARC) among sponsor domains.

DMARC is an email authentication protocol that helps domain owners prevent attackers from spoofing their domain. It works by checking SPF and DKIM results and telling receiving mail servers what to do if an email fails those checks, such as delivering, quarantining, or rejecting it. By implementing DMARC, organizations get to define which action should be applied to messages using their domain name.

Proofpoint analyzed 25 domains, and found that 24 (96%) have published a
DMARC record at a basic level, meaning most organizations at least started implementing protections. While commendable, the researchers said just 16 (64%) actively protect their domain name with the strongest DMARC policy - reject.

This means more than one-third (36%) are not yet proactively blocking fraudulent emails that attempt to impersonate their brand, Proofpoint concluded. Are you a pro? Subscribe to our newsletter Sign up to the
TechRadar Pro newsletter to get all the top news, opinion, features and guidance your business needs to succeed! Contact me with news and offers from other Future brands Receive email from us on behalf of our trusted partners
or sponsors By submitting your information you agree to the Terms &
Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over.

Furthermore, eight domains (32%) have DMARC set to monitoring mode or a partial enforcement posture, which allows the companies to see whats going
on, but not to stop spoofed emails in their tracks. The best antivirus for
all budgets Our top picks, based on real-world testing and comparisons

Read our full guide to the best antivirus 1. Best overall: Bitdefender Total Security 2. Best for families: Norton 360 with LifeLock 3. Best for mobile: McAfee Mobile Security Follow TechRadar on Google News and add us as a preferred source to get our expert news, reviews, and opinion in your feeds. Make sure to click the Follow button!

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Link to news story: https://www.techradar.com/pro/security/many-are-still-leaving-the-door-open-se curity-experts-warn-fifa-world-cup-partners-could-be-putting-customers-at-risk -of-email-attacks


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