Madison Square Garden Orders Cybersecurity Training After Fake Ring Email Test

Madison Square Garden employees who clicked a simulated phishing link in late September are required to attend mandatory cybersecurity classes, The New York Times reported on Thursday. The message, sent by the New York Knicks organization, used the promise of free championship rings to test how well staff could identify suspicious emails.

The subject line of the email read, "Congratulations, your Employee Championship Ring is here." Recipients were instructed to click a link to select between two ring designs. Team sources told the Times that the training was implemented to address growing concerns about digital security held by James Dolan, the owner of the Knicks, the New York Rangers, and Madison Square Garden.

Simulated phishing messages are a standard tool for large companies. These tests often mimic internal communications to see if workers notice warning signs. Condé Nast, the parent company of Ars Technica, uses a similar method by sending test messages from a misspelled domain, "condenest.com." It is not yet clear if the Knicks email contained similar obvious red flags.

The offer was not entirely implausible to staff. Joe Vardon, a senior NBA writer for The Athletic, noted that most NBA team employees typically receive rings. While these versions are less elaborate and costly than the players' awards, they are still a standard part of the team culture. The Athletic was acquired by The New York Times in 2022 and later merged into the parent news organization.

The timing of the test added to its persuasive power. The Knicks recently won their first NBA championship in more than 50 years. Vardon suggested that staff might be forgiven for being fooled, or at least irritated, by a fake offer tied to such a major milestone.

Vardon’s original article focused on a separate ring-related incident that occurred on Tuesday. The Knicks raised their first league championship banner since 1973 during that event. Assistant coaches were handed boxes that contained no rings. Those staff members are expected to receive their rings at a later date.