13 September 2016•Update: 13 September 2016
By Barry Ellsworth
TRENTON, Ont.
A Russian cyber espionage group, Fancy Bears, hacked the Montreal-based World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) and posted online American athletes’ confidential medical records, the agency said Tuesday.
“WADA deeply regrets this situation and is very conscious of the threat that it represents to athletes whose confidential information has been divulged through this criminal act,” Olivier Niggli, the agency’s director general, said in a post on WADA’s website.
It is the second time WADA records have come under cyber-attack. Sensitive data including medical testing results and history were hacked Aug. 12, according to a group calling itself Fancy Bears, the website hackread.com reported. Information about whistle-blower Yuliya Stepanova, who exposed widespread doping by Russian athletes prior to the 2016 Rio Olympic games, was also hacked.
WADA confirmed it believes this most recent attack was also carried out by Fancy Bears, a Russian cyber espionage group whose alternate name is Tsar Team (APT28). The group claims association with the hacking organization Anonymous.
“WADA condemns these ongoing cyber attacks that are being carried out in an attempt to undermine WADA and the global anti-doping system,” Niggli said. “WADA has been informed by law enforcement authorities that these attacks are originating out of Russia.
“Let it be known that these criminal acts are greatly compromising the effort by the global anti-doping community to re-establish trust in Russia.”
The group released information on its website regarding four American athletes: gymnast Simone Biles, basketball star Elena Delle Donne, and tennis stars, sisters Serena and Venus Williams.
The information released included therapeutic use exemptions that allow athletes to use drugs that would show positive in tests but not result in disqualification.
Fancy Bears claimed responsibility for the attack and posted some information on its Twitter account.
“#SerenaWilliams#VenusWilliams are doping addicts#OpOlympics#FancyBears #WADA,” according to one message.
The group also said on its site that it “stood for fair play and clean sport” and that more information would be forthcoming.
“We will start with the U.S. team which has disgraced its name by tainted victories. We will also disclose exclusive information about other national Olympic teams later.”
