The NFL's George Griesler on securing the Super Bowl and reducing risk through collaboration

In this week’s episode of The Future of Security Operations podcast, Thomas is joined by George Griesler. George has been working in cybersecurity since 1997, when he assumed the role of Senior Network administrator at the United States Golf Association (USGA), eventually advancing to Director of Information Security. He currently serves as the Senior Director of Cybersecurity at the National Football League (NFL), where he works to secure events like the Super Bowl, which in 2024 was the most-watched telecast ever.

George and Thomas discuss:

- What security operations looked like in 1997

- Protecting the secrets of regulation golf equipment at the USGA

- The shift in security and privacy needs at live sports events

- Securing scents, flavors, and other chemical formulations at IFF

- Preparing for Super Bowl LXXVIII in the wake of the MGM Resorts cyber attack

- The Super Bowl threat profile, from scoreboard hacking to stadium credentials

- Collaborating with cybersecurity experts from CISA, the FBI, Caesars Palace, and the MGM Grand.

- Aligning security operations with physical security

- The reality of working on high-pressure events

- The benefits of knowledge sharing with other teams working on live sports events

- The importance of relationship building across internal security teams:

- The potential of automation, orchestration, and AI in incident response

The Future of Security Operations is brought to you by Tines, the smart, secure workflow builder that powers some of the world’s most important workflows. https://www.tines.com/solutions/security

Where to find George Griesler:

NFL: https://www.nfl.com/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/georgegriesler/

Where to find Thomas Kinsella: 

Twitter/X: https://twitter.com/thomasksec

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/thomas-kinsella/

Tines: https://www.tines.com/

Resources mentioned:

A Cyberattack Shuts Down MGM Resorts In Las Vegas And Other Cities: https://www.forbes.com/sites/suzannerowankelleher/2023/09/12/a-cyberattack-mgm-resorts-las-vegas/?sh=c1b5096505c0

The 1,000-ton screen bringing Super Bowl LVI to the lucky fans inside the stadium: https://edition.cnn.com/2022/02/11/sport/super-bowl-lvi-samsung-infinity-screen-sofi-stadium-tech-spc-intl/index.html

In this episode:

[01:50] What infrastructure management and incident response looked like in 1997

[03:30] His projects at the United States Golf Association (USGA), including securing a golf handicap information network

[06:05] Witnessing the digital transformation of live sports events

[08:40] Securing flavors, scents and other chemical formulations at IFF

[13:20] Building a threat model for large OT environments

[15:30] Increasing security awareness and culture across the organization

[17:45] Moving to the NFL

[21:20] How George's team prepare for the Super Bowl

[24:10] Partnering with cybersecurity experts at CISA, the FBI, and local partners in Las Vegas like Caesars Palace and the MGM Grand.

[27:00] The Super Bowl's threat profile, from scoreboard hacking to stadium credentials to online identities of individual players

[29:20] Inside the NFL's Super Bowl command centre

[30:40] Ensuring the team is supported to handle high-pressure events

[32:55] Knowledge sharing with security teams on other live sports events, from The Olympics to the World Cup

[37:00] Reducing risk through collaboration across the security team

[38:35] AI as a defender tool and attacker tool

[41:50] The future of the SOC

[43:15] Connect with George