The New York Knicks organization sent employees a phishing email promising free championship rings to test their ability to detect scams, according to a report from The New York Times. The message, sent in late September, read "Congratulations, your Employee Championship Ring is here" and instructed recipients to click a link to select from two ring designs.
Madison Square Garden employees who clicked the link were required to attend a mandatory cybersecurity class. Team sources cited in the report stated this measure was taken to address owner James Dolan's growing cybersecurity concerns. Dolan owns the Knicks, the New York Rangers, and Madison Square Garden.
Corporations frequently deploy phishing emails to identify staff who overlook indicators of fraudulent messages. These internal tests often mimic communications from the company itself but include specific markers of phishing. For instance, Condé Nast, the owner of Ars Technica, sends phishing-test messages from email addresses using a misspelled domain, "condenest.com".