UK accuses Russia of planning cyber attacks to sabotage Tokyo Olympics

UK National Security Centre, on Monday, October 19, said that the Russian military intelligence services were planning to disrupt the upcoming Tokyo Olympics and Paralympic Games with malicious cyber-attacks. While disclosing a joint operation with the US intelligence agencies, the British officials alleged that Unit 74455 of Russia’s GRU military intelligence agency had conducted ‘cyber reconnaissance’ operations against Games organisers, logistics suppliers and sponsors. 

According to The Guardian, British officials accused the Russian military intelligence of creating fake websites and online accounts posing as key individuals for use in future hacking attempts. The UK Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab called GRU’s actions against the Olympic and Paralympic Games ‘cynical and reckless’ and said that Britain condemns them in the ‘strongest possible terms’. As per reports, Raab added that the recent announcement had been coordinated with international allies as part of an effort to ‘call out and counter’ Russia’s actions in cyberspace. 

The latest evidence is the first indication that Russia was prepared to go as far as to disrupt the Tokyo Olympics. It is also the latest in a string of hacking attempts against international sporting organisations by Russia, as Western cybersecurity experts, since its doping scandal erupted five years ago. Back in December, Russia was banned from the world’s top sporting events, including Tokyo Games, for four years over widespread doping offences. 

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Russia attempted to disrupt 2018 winter Games: UK 

On Monday, the United Kingdom, for the first time, confirmed the details of a previously reported Russian attempt to disrupt the 2018 Winter Olympics and Paralympics in Pyeongchang, South Korea. As per reports, British officials declared, with what they described as 95 percent confidence, that the disruption of both the winter and summer games was carried out remotely by the GRU unit 74455.

According to Britain, in South Korea, the GRU’s cyber-unit had attempted to disguise itself as North Korean and Chinese hackers when it targeted the opening ceremony for the 2018 event. The UK officials said that the GRU crashed the website so spectators could not print out tickets and they even crashed the wifi in the stadium, as reported. 

Moreover, the GRU is also accused to have deployed data-deletion malware against the winter games IT systems and targeted devices across South Korea using a VPN filter. The British officials said that the extent and persistence of cyber-activity against sporting bodies were likely to have been cleared at the highest echelons of the Russian state. 

(Image Credits: AP)

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