Benfica suffered cyber attack before releases on Porto Canal

Benfica's technology director in 2017 confirmed today, during the trial of the creator of Football Leaks, that the club's computer system was subject to unauthorized access shortly before confidential information was released on Porto Canal.

“We identified access to several internal data files, as well as several phishing campaigns”, stated José Ribeiro in today's session, of the process in which Rui Pinto is responding for a total of 241 crimes of qualified illegitimate access, aggravated violation of correspondence, and computer damage.

According to the witness, the unauthorized accesses “occurred at night”, some originated in foreign countries, “with a Hungarian IP and another French”, and were “prior to the disclosures made on Porto Cabal and on the Mercado Benfica blog”.

José Ribeiro explained that users of the 'slbenfica.pt' domain accounts, which numbered around 1,400, “did not notice any unauthorized access to their accounts”, guaranteeing that these “were made by someone with above-average computer knowledge” and through accounts with administrator privileges.

The technology manager confirmed the undue access to professional accounts of several Benfica figures, including Rui Costa, current president, Luís Filipe Vieira, former 'encarnado' leader, and Domingos Soares de Oliveira, administrator of Benfica SAD at the time of the events, and indicated the indiscriminate collection of data.

“The information was not collected selectively, but what was published on Porto Canal, namely player transaction values ​​and information on sports management activities, was selected,” he said.

José Ribeiro assured that after the unauthorized access was detected in mid-2017, “several steps” were taken in terms of security.

Rui Pinto is facing trial for a total of 241 crimes: 201 of qualified illegitimate access, 22 of aggravated violation of correspondence and 18 of computer damage.

In addition to Benfica, the figures and institutions targeted also include other clubs, the League, companies, law firms, judges, prosecutors, the Tax Authority and the National Internal Security Network.

The creator of Football Leaks was handed over for trial last March, with the Central Criminal Investigation Court granting him amnesty for 134 crimes of correspondence violation, based on the application of the amnesty law approved in 2023, during the World Youth Days, since the crimes he is charged with were allegedly committed before he turned 30.

Rui Pinto was sentenced in the 'Football Leaks' case, in September 2023, by the Central Criminal Court of Lisbon, to four years in prison with a suspended sentence, for crimes of attempted extortion, aggravated violation of correspondence and illegitimate access.

In November 2023, he was also sentenced to six months in prison in France, also with a suspended sentence, for illegally accessing Paris Saint-Germain emails.

Benfica's technology director in 2017 confirmed today, during the trial of the creator of Football Leaks, that the club's computer system was subject to unauthorized access shortly before confidential information was released on Porto Canal.

“We identified access to several internal data files, as well as several phishing campaigns”, stated José Ribeiro in today's session, of the process in which Rui Pinto is responding for a total of 241 crimes of qualified illegitimate access, aggravated violation of correspondence, and computer damage.

According to the witness, the unauthorized accesses “occurred at night”, some originated in foreign countries, “with a Hungarian IP and another French”, and were “prior to the disclosures made on Porto Cabal and on the Mercado Benfica blog”.

José Ribeiro explained that users of the 'slbenfica.pt' domain accounts, which numbered around 1,400, “did not notice any unauthorized access to their accounts”, guaranteeing that these “were made by someone with above-average computer knowledge” and through accounts with administrator privileges.

The technology manager confirmed the undue access to professional accounts of several Benfica figures, including Rui Costa, current president, Luís Filipe Vieira, former 'encarnado' leader, and Domingos Soares de Oliveira, administrator of Benfica SAD at the time of the events, and indicated the indiscriminate collection of data.

“The information was not collected selectively, but what was published on Porto Canal, namely player transaction values ​​and information on sports management activities, was selected,” he said.

José Ribeiro assured that after the unauthorized access was detected in mid-2017, “several steps” were taken in terms of security.

Rui Pinto is facing trial for a total of 241 crimes: 201 of qualified illegitimate access, 22 of aggravated violation of correspondence and 18 of computer damage.

In addition to Benfica, the figures and institutions targeted also include other clubs, the League, companies, law firms, judges, prosecutors, the Tax Authority and the National Internal Security Network.

The creator of Football Leaks was handed over for trial last March, with the Central Criminal Investigation Court granting him amnesty for 134 crimes of correspondence violation, based on the application of the amnesty law approved in 2023, during the World Youth Days, since the crimes he is charged with were allegedly committed before he turned 30.

Rui Pinto was sentenced in the 'Football Leaks' case, in September 2023, by the Central Criminal Court of Lisbon, to four years in prison with a suspended sentence, for crimes of attempted extortion, aggravated violation of correspondence and illegitimate access.

In November 2023, he was also sentenced to six months in prison in France, also with a suspended sentence, for illegally accessing Paris Saint-Germain emails.

Benfica's technology director in 2017 confirmed today, during the trial of the creator of Football Leaks, that the club's computer system was subject to unauthorized access shortly before confidential information was released on Porto Canal.

“We identified access to several internal data files, as well as several phishing campaigns”, stated José Ribeiro in today's session, of the process in which Rui Pinto is responding for a total of 241 crimes of qualified illegitimate access, aggravated violation of correspondence, and computer damage.

According to the witness, the unauthorized accesses “occurred at night”, some originated in foreign countries, “with a Hungarian IP and another French”, and were “prior to the disclosures made on Porto Cabal and on the Mercado Benfica blog”.

José Ribeiro explained that users of the 'slbenfica.pt' domain accounts, which numbered around 1,400, “did not notice any unauthorized access to their accounts”, guaranteeing that these “were made by someone with above-average computer knowledge” and through accounts with administrator privileges.

The technology manager confirmed the undue access to professional accounts of several Benfica figures, including Rui Costa, current president, Luís Filipe Vieira, former 'encarnado' leader, and Domingos Soares de Oliveira, administrator of Benfica SAD at the time of the events, and indicated the indiscriminate collection of data.

“The information was not collected selectively, but what was published on Porto Canal, namely player transaction values ​​and information on sports management activities, was selected,” he said.

José Ribeiro assured that after the unauthorized access was detected in mid-2017, “several steps” were taken in terms of security.

Rui Pinto is facing trial for a total of 241 crimes: 201 of qualified illegitimate access, 22 of aggravated violation of correspondence and 18 of computer damage.

In addition to Benfica, the figures and institutions targeted also include other clubs, the League, companies, law firms, judges, prosecutors, the Tax Authority and the National Internal Security Network.

The creator of Football Leaks was handed over for trial last March, with the Central Criminal Investigation Court granting him amnesty for 134 crimes of correspondence violation, based on the application of the amnesty law approved in 2023, during the World Youth Days, since the crimes he is charged with were allegedly committed before he turned 30.

Rui Pinto was sentenced in the 'Football Leaks' case, in September 2023, by the Central Criminal Court of Lisbon, to four years in prison with a suspended sentence, for crimes of attempted extortion, aggravated violation of correspondence and illegitimate access.

In November 2023, he was also sentenced to six months in prison in France, also with a suspended sentence, for illegally accessing Paris Saint-Germain emails.