What happens if a sport worth billions of dollars that relies on control, speed, and precision completely loses that authority? One of the most recognizable racing organizations in America, NASCAR, is currently the target of a cyberattack that is occurring within its digital infrastructure rather than on the track. A growing power in the realm of cybercrime, Medusa ransomware, is the organization claiming responsibility.

In professional sports, cybersecurity has long been neglected in favor of pit strategy and horsepower. However, that changed in early April after a mysterious internet post exposed internal spreadsheets, track maps, and confidential NASCAR records. This time, there was only a silent breach and a multi-million dollar ransom, no late-race warnings.

Now, stage victories and playoff positions are not the issue. It concerns how one of the world’s most technologically sophisticated sports became susceptible and who is actually in charge. A new type of adversary must be faced before NASCAR can take action: an anonymous syndicate that operates in chaos and flourishes in the shadows.

Inside the Shadows: Ruthless Cyber Syndicate Finds Its Way to NASCAR’s Gates

In addition to revealing a vulnerability flaw, the recent ransomware attack on NASCAR also points to a developing pattern in professional sports. A fast-rising ransomware group called Medusa is at the center, requesting $4 million to stop the release of almost one terabyte of stolen NASCAR data. Medusa, which was first discovered in 2021, uses a ransomware-as-a-service (RaaS) business model, licensing its virus to affiliates who frequently use phishing to obtain access. Once inside, they extort money, encrypt networks, and steal confidential information. The organization has targeted major sports, healthcare, and education.

Medusa claimed responsibility for the penetration of NASCAR’s internal systems at the beginning of April 2025. It provided 33 screenshots to back up its allegation on its dark web leak website, purportedly displaying contracts, employment information, facility plans, and legal documents. The gang gave NASCAR a week to pay the ransom or risk the data being made publicly available. Though the hack has not been formally acknowledged by NASCAR, the ramifications are severe. Cybersecurity experts caution that this might be the start of a new age in the targeting of well-known sports organizations.

As HackRead reported in their exclusive coverage, the exposed materials contain “confidential documentation that, if fully released, could pose both reputational and operational risks to the league.” While NASCAR’s digital infrastructure, which includes analytics tools and data pipelines backed by AWS, is intended to maximize fan interaction and race strategy, it also provides a vast attack surface for cybercriminals. According to CISA, Medusa actors have been observed “disabling antivirus software, rebooting systems into Safe Mode, and deleting backup shadow copies before deploying encryption — all to ensure maximum disruption.”

The sports industry has already been the target of ransomware perpetrators. A concerning trend impacting other major leagues and teams is reflected in what is happening to NASCAR. One of the first professional sports teams to be openly targeted by ransomware was the Houston Rockets in 2021. NDAs, financial records, and player contracts were among the more than 500 gigabytes of material that the Babuk group allegedly stole from the NBA team.

In 2023, the NBA experienced a different breach. Although a third-party email provider used for newsletters was compromised, ransomware was not the cause of that event. Email addresses and other personal information belonging to fans were taken. In its notification to affected users, the league wrote: “An unauthorized third party gained access to and obtained a copy of your name and email address, which was held by a third-party service provider that helps us communicate via email” — NBA, March 2023.

Even though there were no system disruptions or financial data compromised, the incident was a clear reminder that third-party providers are still a potential attack vector and could have contributed to the NASCAR hack. It all boils down to a special combination of valuable data, ongoing public exposure, and a sophisticated digital footprint that involves a large number of outside providers. Modern sports organizations operate more like tech firms than conventional entertainment brands, from biometric data and scouting reports to sponsorship agreements and race-day infrastructure.

The ramifications might affect anything from income flows to race-day logistics if these documents contain private information about broadcast talks, sponsor contracts, or building designs. “Confidentiality and uptime are everything. Disruption during a live broadcast or leak of a multi-million-dollar contract isn’t just a tech problem — it’s a crisis,”  cybersecurity analyst Brett Callow emphasized. 

The fact that NASCAR has remained silent thus far may indicate that talks are still going on or that the organization has an internal plan to deal with the issue without making a public statement. In a March 2025 advisory, the FBI and CISA laid out clear warnings for high-profile organizations: “Ransomware actors continue to evolve their tactics. Organizations must adopt layered defenses and proactive detection to avoid being held hostage.” — FBI/CISA Joint Advisory, 2025.

According to CISA, Medusa developed and affiliates have targeted over 300 victims across different sectors like, medical, education, legal, insurance, technology, and manufacturing. And going by the latest rumors and speculations online, NASCAR seems to be on the radar, and they’ve already made their move.

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When the Game Goes Digital: Sports Leagues Are Ransomware’s New Targets

Sports leagues are a lucrative intersection of urgency, publicity, and inadequate digital defenses for cybercriminals like Medusa. NASCAR is by no means alone. Ransomware groups have been targeting high-profile teams and leagues more frequently in recent years, taking advantage of both aging infrastructure and an increasing reliance on third-party digital platforms. For example, the NBA revealed in March 2023 that a third-party email service had been compromised, exposing fan data in a breach that, although not directly related to ransomware, highlighted the vulnerability of external vendors.

“We recently became aware that an unauthorized third party gained access to and obtained a copy of your name and email address, which was held by a third-party service provider that helps us communicate via email with fans who have shared this information with the NBA.” The incident acted as a warning, even though the NBA’s internal systems were untouched. However, less than two years later, NASCAR might be dealing with the fallout from a more complex and extensive hack that was allegedly planned by a ransomware syndicate that has also targeted government organizations, healthcare systems, and educational networks.

In April 2021, the Houston Rockets had to face the consequences. Working with federal authorities, the NBA team promptly established that it had been targeted by the Babuk ransomware organization. The team admitted that there had been a breach, even though their internal security systems lessened the impact. According to a team representative, Tracey Hughes, “Our internal security tools prevented ransomware from being installed except for a few systems that have not impacted our operations.”

Ransomware organizations are constantly changing, as the FBI and the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) have long cautioned. However, without an official confirmation by NASCAR on a potential cyberattack, these reports and speculations are only rumors.