The Formula 1 Williams team had to cancel the augmented reality launch of their new racing car due to a cyberattack targeting their mobile app, designed to allow users to view and manipulate a 3D design of the car. This plan was announced by Jost Capito, the new CEO of the team.
The organization apologized to motorsport enthusiasts and pledged to keep working to correct the flaws and compete in the best way in the next championship: “While we are starting this journey and a lot of work to be done, we are happy to see the momentum with which the season will begin.”
Williams did not add further information about the incident, so the nature of the detected incident is still ignored. However, as usual cybersecurity specialists believe this could be a denial of service (DoS) attack or a ransomware infection.
Through a statement, Williams notes: “This incident does not alter our plans for this Formula 1 season; we were very eager to share this technological experience with fans, especially during these difficult times. Unfortunately it was not possible, but we will continue to work to get closer to our fans.”
Williams is one of the most successful racing teams in the history of the circuit, although over the past three seasons its results have been really disappointing, which even led the team to disrupt its operations for a year until it was sold to Dorilton Capital.
Capito, who arrives in the world of motorsport after a long career as an executive in the automotive industry, mentions: “We are at the dawn of a new era. I think 2021 is a transition year where the goal is to close the gap against the rest of the teams as much as possible. Restrictions imposed to cut costs involve limited resources for all equipment, which can actually be an advantage for us in the short term.”
Capito concluded by mentioning that they continue to analyze their strengths and skills in the current motorsport landscape to implement the necessary changes: “We will restructure as much as possible, but we will not yet make drastic changes. The big steps could go to 2022.”
This is a clear example that any organization may be the victim of a hacking incident, so it is necessary to have the best information available. To learn more about information security risks, malware variants, vulnerabilities and information technologies, feel free to access the International Institute of Cyber Security (IICS) website.
He is a well-known expert in mobile security and malware analysis. He studied Computer Science at NYU and started working as a cyber security analyst in 2003. He is actively working as an anti-malware expert. He also worked for security companies like Kaspersky Lab. His everyday job includes researching about new malware and cyber security incidents. Also he has deep level of knowledge in mobile security and mobile vulnerabilities.
