Latest news with #RossMcNaughton
Otago Daily Times
22-07-2025
- Sport
- Otago Daily Times
What is Rugby360? And could the All Blacks be involved?
By Ross McNaughton of RNZ If the All Blacks have been approached to take part in the Rugby360 competition, they are certainly not letting on. "Not at all, mate, no I haven't heard anything," All Blacks vice-captain Ardie Savea said. "I'm unaware of any of that information," coach Scott Robertson said. But according to veteran commentator Tony Johnson, R360 could be a legitimate threat to rugby's status quo. "What I'm hearing now is that this thing is real, that the money is off the scale. There is a lot of money, there are interested parties. They're certainly talking to a lot of players and they believe they can get this thing going by next year. How realistic that is, I don't know," he said. While solid details about R360 are scarce, the competition would reportedly operate eight men's and four women's teams, in a franchise system played across multiple countries. Former England midfielder Mike Tindall is a spokesperson and the league is being financed by private investment from the US, the UK, and most importantly, Saudi Arabia. It is estimated Rugby 360 will need to sign hundreds of players to operate. Any wage bill though is minuscule, compared to the riches in the Saudi Public Investment Fund, according to professor Steve Jackson at the University of Otago. "It's into the hundreds of billions, and that's just their investment strategy. And just in relation to sport, I think they're at about close to $50 billion just in the last two to three years," he said. Critics have termed this strategy sportswashing. Effectively using sport as a means to cleanse a country's reputation. And while it has gone for decades across many nations, the Saudis are the undisputed world champions. "They can hide all the human rights abuses," Jackson said. "Rugby is just another feather in the cap. You know, there's golf, there's Formula 1. There's UFC. I mean, they've got links now with the IOC and the Olympics, FIFA. So they are gathering momentum." New Zealand Rugby declined an interview request but provided a statement saying they're monitoring potential markets. "We continue to see strong player retention, driven by a focus on environments and quality teams and competitions. Pleasingly, we have large number of players committed to the long-term which recognises the incredibly exciting domestic and international rugby calendar over the next four years." World Rugby have also taken notice. "World Rugby have had a meeting very recently about it," Johnson said. "No one knows what has come out of that, but World Rugby will be under a lot of pressure from the likes of, the English Premiership, the Top 14 league in France, the Japan League, Super Rugby, because if this thing R360 gets off the ground, then those competitions will be decimated and it really will split the game." World Rugby still holds a trump card though: Test rugby. "What I understand is that no top rugby players are going to commit to this if they think there's any threat to them playing international rugby, no matter how big the money is. Or very few, which is why probably at the moment the names that are being banded around are rugby league players." But the Saudis have the money to test anyone's loyalty. Top players were reportedly offered signing bonuses of more than US$100 million to join their LIV golf tour. "We can have a lot of theories, but at the end of the day it's two words: money talks," Jackson said. Whether that money gets a 'yes' from New Zealand's best rugby players, that will all come out in the wash.
Kuwait Times
03-07-2025
- Business
- Kuwait Times
Gulf Bank launches Bug Bounty and Vulnerability Disclosure Program
Program as part of bank's long-term cybersecurity commitment KUWAIT: As part of Gulf Bank of Kuwait long-term vision to enhance cybersecurity and in line with its strong commitment to protect its customers' data and digital systems from potential threats and hackers, Gulf Bank has officially launched its Vulnerability Disclosure Program (VDP) and Bug Bounty program. This program seeks to involve the cybersecurity community, comprising experts, specialists, and ethical hackers in assisting the Bank in identifying and resolving vulnerabilities that may affect its systems and services. The objective is to allow the Bank to address the vulnerabilities or issue before they can be exploited by unauthorized individuals. Gulf Bank believes that collaborating with the global cyber researcher community is one of the most powerful tools for creating a secure, reliable digital platform and supports the march towards a more secure ecosystem. As this program is part of the Bank's ongoing strategy to adopt the latest technological solutions in cybersecurity. The program also reflects the Bank's commitment to transparency and openness to specialized expertise. Speaking about the launch event, Ross McNaughton, Chief Information Security Officer at Gulf Bank said: 'The launch of the Bug Bounty and Disclosure program represents the next step towards enhancing the security of the products and services offered by the Bank. It contributes to the early detection and effective resolution of vulnerabilities, issue, error or technical glitch, thereby improving digital protection and increasing customer trust. The program also provides a rapid response mechanism for security risks and serves as a technical platform to support innovation, trial new services and build an active, collaborative cybersecurity community. He added: 'The success of this program will enhance customer confidence in the Bank's digital services and reflects our ongoing commitment to lead in protecting our customers data, swift and continual innovation and development in cybersecurity. It also adopts leading global practices with Cybersecurity community engagement, helping the Bank support cybersecurity advancement in Kuwait and across the region.' Gulf Bank launch an open invitation to all cybersecurity professionals, researcher and enthusiast 'hackers' to participate in its Vulnerability Disclosure Program and Bug Bounty program. Any individual with the knowledge and skills to analyze and identify security weaknesses, hack or hacking, is eligible to be part of this professional initiative. McNaughton concluded by saying: 'If you believe you have discovered a security vulnerability or feature that could impact the Bank's systems or services, we encourage you to report it immediately through the official channel and you may be eligible for a financial reward. The rewards' value will be determined by the Bank's specialized team based on the severity of the reported issue.
Zawya
03-07-2025
- Business
- Zawya
Gulf Bank launches Bug Bounty and Vulnerability Disclosure Program
As part of Gulf Bank of Kuwait long-term vision to enhance cybersecurity and in line with its strong commitment to protect its customers' data and digital systems from potential threats and hackers, Gulf Bank has officially launched its Vulnerability Disclosure Program (VDP) and Bug Bounty programme. This program seeks to involve the cybersecurity community, comprising experts, specialists, and ethical hackers in assisting the Bank in identifying and resolving vulnerabilities that may affect its systems and services. The objective is to allow the Bank to address the vulnerabilities or issue before they can be exploited by unauthorized individuals. Gulf Bank believes that collaborating with the global cyber researcher community is one of the most powerful tools for creating a secure, reliable digital platform and supports the march towards a more secure ecosystem. As this program is part of the Bank's ongoing strategy to adopt the latest technological solutions in cybersecurity. The program also reflects the Bank's commitment to transparency and openness to specialized expertise. Speaking about the launch event, Mr. Ross McNaughton, Chief Information Security Officer at Gulf Bank said: "The launch of the Bug Bounty and Disclosure programme represents the next step towards enhancing the security of the products and services offered by the Bank. It contributes to the early detection and effective resolution of vulnerabilities, issue, error or technical glitch, thereby improving digital protection and increasing customer trust. The program also provides a rapid response mechanism for security risks and serves as a technical platform to support innovation, trial new services and build an active, collaborative cybersecurity community. He added: "The success of this program will enhance customer confidence in the Bank's digital services and reflects our ongoing commitment to lead in protecting our customers data, swift and continual innovation and development in cybersecurity. It also adopts leading global practices with Cybersecurity community engagement, helping the Bank support cybersecurity advancement in Kuwait and across the region." Gulf Bank launch an open invitation to all cybersecurity professionals, researcher and enthusiast 'hackers' to participate in its Vulnerability Disclosure Program and Bug Bounty programme. Any Individual with the knowledge and skills to analyze and identify security weaknesses, hack or hacking, is eligible to be part of this professional initiative. Mr. McNaughton concluded by saying: 'If you believe you have discovered a security vulnerability or feature that could impact the Bank's systems or services, we encourage you to report it immediately through the official channel and you may be eligible for a financial reward. The rewards' value will be determined by the Bank's specialized team based on the severity of the reported issue.
