Re-positioning Arsenal FC’s Cybersecurity Practices With VPN Innovative Technologies

The much-expected May 19 has come and gone; the 2023/2024 EPL season has ended; Manchester City won the trophy again; however, Arsenal did us proud.  With the spirit of trusting the Arsenal process, Mikel Arteta improved on the 2022/2023 season’s result of 84 points; unlike Pep Guardiola, who had all the funds to spend in buying the “big names” in the football world, Mikel Arteta took Arsenal to a consecutive 2nd position on the EPL table with 89 points as against 91 points from Manchester City.

An interesting aspect of football many people don’t consider is the impact of the internet on losing and winning a match; for instance, an opponent team will research and formulate a game plan against Arsenal with the information it has; in the course of the game, TV commentators amass a vast volume of data points about Arsenal and its players.

By any yardstick you use to measure it, a hacker or third party has access to a lot of information about Arsenal, and at this time when the number of cyber-attacks is growing, Arsenal needs to secure its data properly. Expectedly, Arsenal must save information about players, the team, competitors, employees, media generated during matches and training, business transaction data, and match results for analysis and research.

Mikel Arteta and the managerial team must constantly review large volumes of data to develop a winning game plan; for instance, the data on Bukayo Saka will include the number of touches in the opponent’s box, passes within critical areas of the pitch, and goals scored from set pieces. The data on the player is veritable information for the manager of an opposing team; Arsenal’s first team and the academy recorded training sessions aggregated 8TB of data a year in 2018.

Hence, when Arsenal advertised for a Cyber Security & Data Protection Manager some time ago, it was a step in the right direction to ensure safeguarding the Club's sensitive information against cyber threats and potential data breaches, implementing security measures, conducting regular audits and risk assessments, and developing security policies and procedures aligning with relevant regulations and the world’s best cybersecurity practices.

Apart from football matches, more aspects of our lives have moved into the digital realm, and the importance of cybersecurity has never been more glaring; this is especially true for high-profile organizations like Arsenal Football Club, where the potential for cyber-attacks and data breaches must be of constant concern.

We must explore the role VPN (Virtual Private Network) can play in Arsenal FC's cybersecurity practices and how innovative technologies like 1 Click VPN can reposition the club's cyberculture for a more proactive approach.

As a first step to tackling cyber threats, it's essential to understand the cybersecurity challenges organizations like Arsenal FC have to contend with; as a prime target for cyber attacks with a large fan base, valuable intellectual property, and sensitive player and staff information, Arsenal may have to deal with threats ranging from phishing attempts to ransomware attacks, the cyber threats are diverse and ever-evolving. For Arsenal to mitigate these threats, the innovative 1 Click VPN technologies can make a difference.

Fundamentally, VPN technology enables users to create a secure and encrypted connection to another network over the internet. By deploying the VPN technology, Arsenal FC's employees, players, and staff can securely access the club's internal systems and data from anywhere in the world.

However, the innovative technology features confer a higher security level to Arsenal FC with the tech-savvy hackers. Some of the features Arsenal FC can rely upon to tackle cybercrimes include the following:

1. AI-powered threat detection

High-profile football clubs, such as Arsenal, integrate artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning into their match analyses; in the same way, hackers deploy these advanced technologies to plan and launch attacks. AI-powered threat detection technology will enable real-time analysis of patterns and behaviors; the technology enhances swift identification and neutralization of threats, enabling a proactive model that sets the stage for an innovative turnaround in cybersecurity practices. 

2. Multi-hop 1 Click VPN

Whenever an individual logs into the internet with a device, the internet service provider (ISP) assigns an internet protocol (IP) address to the device for communication with other computers on the network. Your ISP, a hacker, or any third party that accesses your IP address can monitor your browsing activities. The multi-hop, cascading, or double VPN feature enables routing your internet traffic through several servers before reaching its designated recipient; cascading your internet traffic elevates anonymity to unprecedented levels.

The art of routing your connection through multiple servers in different locations creates a complex web, confounds a hacker or third party, enhances privacy, and makes tracking your internet history nearly impossible. 

Multi-hopping is a vital feature that any industry where remote work, travel, and connecting to public Wi-Fi networks must leverage, as it protects sensitive information, notwithstanding the user's geographical location.

3. Post-quantum cryptography

As the world awaits the quantum computer, we shouldn’t lose focus of its looming threat that can enable the decryption of strong encryptions, such as AES 256-bit encryption, in seconds or minutes, which was impossible for classic computers. Any reputable VPN must enable post-quantum cryptography that can withstand the computational power of quantum computers, ensuring the durability and robustness of VPN security protocols that can further enhance Arsenal’s FC’s cybersecurity posture.

Conclusion

We can’t overemphasize the role of VPN in Arsenal FC's cybersecurity warfare practices, and this revolution in VPN technology can offer additional features that align with Arsenal FC's cybersecurity needs in contrast to the traditional VPN features. By leveraging these innovative technologies, such as post-quantum cryptography, AI-powered threat detection, and multi-hop VPN, Arsenal FC can reposition its cyber culture to be proactive, resilient, and adaptable in the face of evolving cybersecurity challenges.