Russia's state-sponsored hackers have a few predictable fixations: NATO-country embassies. Hillary Clinton. Ukraine. But a less expected target has somehow remained in their sights for more than three years: the Olympics—and specifically anyone who would dare to accuse Russian athletes of cheating.
On Monday, Microsoft revealed in a blog post that the Russian hacking group known as Fancy Bear, APT28, or Strontium recently targeted no fewer than 16 anti-doping agencies around the world; in some cases those attacks were successful.
Microsoft notes that the hackers, long believed to be working in the service of the Russian military intelligence agency known as the GRU, began their attacks on September 16, just ahead of reports that the Worldwide Anti-Doping Agency had found "inconsistencies" in Russian athletes' compliance with anti-doping standards, which may lead to the country's ban from the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, just as they were from the Pyeongchang Winter Games in 2018.
The Olympics-related attacks are remarkable not for their novelty but for their sheer doggedness. The GRU, after all, has been hacking anti-doping agencies—including WADA—since 2016, in retaliation for investigations of Russian doping. They've previously leaked reams of stolen files and even athlete medical records along the way. And even after russian hackers still targeting olympics
