Security Researcher Finds Critical Flaw in FIFA System, Allowing TV Stream Control
A security researcher, known as BobDaHacker, discovered a simple security flaw in FIFA's internal platforms that allowed her to gain full control over the World Cup TV broadcast, including manipulating what is displayed on commentators' screens.
A security researcher who goes by the alias BobDaHacker claims she was able to access multiple internal FIFA systems simply by registering as a player agent on FIFA's official agent registration platform. Due to this account and a flaw in FIFA's backend API that did not verify proper authorization, she could then access several internal platforms.
These included the system that broadcasters use to control what appears on TV screens worldwide and what commentators see during matches. According to the researcher, a single attacker could hijack every camera simultaneously, potentially pulling off a 'rickroll' across the entire World Cup broadcast.
BobDaHacker reported the flaw on Tuesday evening Japan time. FIFA fixed the issue within a few hours but never acknowledged the researcher's report. TechCrunch's request for comment from FIFA went unanswered.
