Russian hackers were responsible for a cyberattack against the 2018 Winter Olympic Games opening ceremony, and tried to make it appear as though North Korea was responsible, reports The Washington Post.
Russia was behind the cyberattack during the opening ceremonies for the 2018 Winter Olympics
The country tried to make it appear as though the North Koreans were responsible
The country tried to make it appear as though the North Koreans were responsible
Photo by Andreas Rentz/Getty Images
Citing officials from the US intelligence community, the Post says that Russia’s Main Intelligence Directorate (GRU) gained access to around 300 computers, hacked routers, and distributed malware in the lead-up to and during the event’s opening ceremonies. The contests themselves were unaffected.
Officials speculated that attack was in retaliation for the ban on Russian athletes in the wake of a systematic doping scheme. The Post says that the GRU used North Korean IP addresses to mask their tracks to shift the blame to the country, which has had its own tensions with South Korea and the United States in recent years.
Olympic officials confirmed at the beginning of the games that a cyberattack had taken place, but didn’t reveal who the attackers were. The attack took down internet and Wi-Fi access during the opening ceremonies, as well as the event’s website.
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