NEW YORK (1010 WINS) — Madison Square Garden employees received a mass email offering custom New York Knicks championship rings—only to discover it was an internal cybersecurity test, a tactic the company later acknowledged was an "unfortunate mistake" following a recent hack.
According to The Athletic, the late-September email read, "Congratulations, your Employee Championship Ring is here," prompting recipients to choose between two designs before redirecting those who clicked to mandatory training.
"The company had previously sent out an email to its corporate team as a simulation of a phishing attack designed to strengthen our security against hackers. MSG was recently hacked and extorted using an employee login and password obtained through a similar phishing attack. Using the rings as a lure to gain employees attention was an unfortunate mistake," an MSG Sports spokesperson said.
The spokesperson added that the organization is still gifting more than 275 rings and jewelry pieces worth over $3.7 million to players, coaches, and staff members.
During the team's banner-raising celebration on Tuesday night, The Athletic also reported that Knicks assistant coaches were handed empty ring boxes, though they are expected to receive their actual rings at a later date.
