F1 News: FIA Falls Victim To Hacking Scandal

The FIA, overseeing global motorsports like Formula 1, suffered a phishing cyberattack resulting in unauthorized access to personal data.

Nov 3, 2019; Austin, TX, USA; A view of the FIA Formula One flag before the United States Grand Prix at Circuit of the Americas. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports / Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports

The Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA), which oversees globally recognized motorsports including Formula 1, has been hit by a phishing cyberattack. This attack led to unauthorized access of personal data through two specific email accounts, marking a significant security breach within the motorsport's governing body.

Upon discovery of the breach, the FIA acted swiftly to sever the unauthorized accesses and reported the incident to both the French and Swiss data protection regulators. Although the action was prompt, the FIA has yet to disclose details about the nature of the stolen data, the extent of the information compromised, or the number of individuals impacted.

The organization described the cyberattack as part of a broader phishing effort targeting the motorsport community, suggesting that the FIA was not the sole entity affected. According to TechRadar, the FIA has commented:

“Unauthorized access to personal data contained in two email accounts belonging to the FIA.

“The FIA took all actions to rectify the issues, notably in cutting the illegitimate accesses in a very short time, once it became aware of the incidents and notified the Commission Nationale de l'Informatique et des Libertés (the French data protection regulator), and the Préposé Fédéral à la Protection des Données et à la Transparence (the Swiss data protection regulator)."

This comes ahead of the British Grand Prix which is taking place this weekend at the iconic Silverstone circuit. Max Verstappen currently leads the Drivers' Standings with 237 points ahead of Lando Norris with 156 points and Charles Leclerc with 150. Unsurprisingly, Red Bull continues with its lead in the Constructors' Championship with 355 points followed by Ferrari and McLaren with 291 and 268 points, respectively.