James Dolan Orders Knicks Staff to Take Cybersecurity Class After Clicking Fake Ring Email

James Dolan, the owner of the New York Knicks, mandated cybersecurity training for Madison Square Garden employees after a group clicked a simulated phishing email. The message, sent in late September, offered free championship rings to staff members. The subject line read, "Congratulations, your Employee Championship Ring is here." Recipients were instructed to click a link to choose between two ring designs.

According to a report by The New York Times on Thursday, any employee who clicked the link was required to attend a mandatory class. Dolan, who also owns the New York Rangers and Madison Square Garden, has expressed growing concerns about cybersecurity within the organization. The training was designed to address these worries by testing how well staff could identify suspicious communications.

Simulated phishing campaigns are a standard practice at large companies. These tests often mimic messages from the employer itself to see which workers overlook warning signs. For example, Condé Nast, the parent company of Ars Technica, sends test emails from an address with a misspelled domain, "condenest.com." It remains unclear if the Knicks email contained similar obvious red flags, such as a typo in the sender's address.

The offer was not entirely implausible for NBA employees. Joe Vardon, a senior NBA writer for The Athletic, noted that most team staff receive rings, even if they are less elaborate than the players' versions. The Athletic was acquired by The New York Times in 2022 and has since merged into the parent news organization. The lure carried extra weight because the Knicks recently won their first NBA championship in more than 50 years.

Staff could be forgiven for being fooled or irritated by a fake offer tied to such a major milestone. The report cited team sources for the details of the phishing test and the subsequent training requirements. The incident serves as a reminder that even organizations celebrating historic victories must maintain strict digital hygiene.

On Tuesday, the Knicks raised their first league championship banner since 1973. During the ceremony, the team's assistant coaches were handed boxes that contained no rings. They are expected to receive their physical rings at a later date. The timing of the phishing test, sent in late September, preceded this public celebration of the team's success.