In another case of “truth is stranger than fiction,” the Russian cyber-espionage group known as Fancy Bears has executed another hack of James-Bond-level proportions.

A post on fancybear.net warned, “We are going to tell you how Olympic medals are won. We hacked World Anti-Doping Agency databases and we were shocked by what we saw.” On Tuesday, the group released the alleged drug-testing files of four star U.S. athletes, including the world’s top tennis player, Serena Williams and four-time Olympic gold medalist Simone Biles, claiming that they tested positive for banned substances. The World Anti-Doping Agency confirmed that they were hacked, but didn’t comment on the authenticity of the files posted.

Photo: Charles Krupa / AP
Photo: Charles Krupa / AP



Although the move appears to be retaliatory in response to Russian athletes being banned from the Rio Olympics due to evidence of widespread doping, according to an NBC News report, cybersecurity experts believe the hack to be part of a larger campaign backed by the Putin regime. They believe the intention is to target numerous U.S. government, political organizations and other perceived enemies and potentially disrupt the November election.

In response to the site’s allegation that she tested positive for methylphenidate (the drug more commonly known as Ritalin) in August 2016, Simone Biles tweeted:

The site, which also suggests that both Serena and Venus Williams have tested positive for banned substances, warns that these latest finds are “just the tip of the iceberg,” claiming, “the world is unaware of a large number of American doping athletes.” While neither Williams sister has responded, The United States Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) has openly condemned the attacks.

Travis T. Tygart, CEO of the USADA, released a statement saying, “It’s unthinkable that in the Olympic movement, hackers would illegally obtain confidential medical information in an attempt to smear athletes to make it look as if they have done something wrong. The athletes haven’t. In fact, in each of the situations, the athlete has done everything right in adhering to the global rules for obtaining permission to use a needed medication.” He added that all the medications were approved by the respective international federations, WADA and the International Olympic Committee (IOC).
One thing we know to be true is that until iron clad measures are put into place, cybersecurity will continue to be an easily exploited weakness in national security.

 

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ADHDcyberattacksfancybearmedical filesSerena-williamsSimone Bilesunited states anti-doping agencyUSADAVenus Williams