In episode 204 of Cybersecurity Where You Are, Sean Atkinson speaks with Ryan Winmill, Chief Security Officer and Vice President of FIFA World Cup Boston, and John Cohen, Executive Director of the Office of Strategic Programs and Initiatives at the Center for Internet Security® (CIS®). Together, they discuss how FIFA World Cup 2026 (FWC26) — secured through an unprecedented tripartite governance framework, $625 million in U.S. Congressional funding, and real-time intelligence that stopped a swatting attempt at the finals — set a new standard for proactive event security worldwide.

Here are some highlights from our episode:

  • 01:18. The "unprecedented" governance framework created for FWC26
  • 03:53. The role of CIS as a force multiplier for FIFA, host regions, and other partners
  • 11:00. Why you can't trust the person with an ego in large-scale event security planning
  • 13:23. How the threat environment evolved over the previous three World Cup tournaments
  • 17:23. A new bar for proactive event security going forward
  • 18:43. How CIS provided quality control that helped to mitigate swatting calls during FWC26
  • 21:55. Unique approaches used by host regions to better understand the World Cup fanbase
  • 23:15. How counterfeit FIFA volunteer uniforms triggered a cross-city credentialing response
  • 26:46. Recommendations for future large-scale event host cities
  • 30:19. Ryan's recommendation to future host cities: "Call CIS before you get started"

Resources

If you have some feedback or an idea for an upcoming episode of Cybersecurity Where You Are, let us know by emailing podcast@cisecurity.org.

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