Olympic officials and cybersecurity experts are attributing Internet disruptions during last week’s Olympic opening ceremony were the result of a cyberattack. Jihye Lee, a spokesman for the PyeongChang Organizing Committee, confirmed the news Sunday, saying, “The technology issues experienced Friday night were caused by a cyberattack.”
The first signs of trouble arose when the website and internal systems of the winter games were taken offline during the opening ceremony in PyeongChang on Friday, after hackers detonated their probes inside the network, according to Sky News. News outlets had issues reporting on the event because the hackers knocked out the WiFi. Analysis by researchers at the cybersecurity intelligence wing of Cisco, identified the malware, which it calls “Olympic Destroyer.”
Olympic organizers in South Korea said that everything has since been “resolved and recovered.” But, those same officials continue to refuse to reveal the source of the attack. Some are pointing the finger at Russia, since the country was banned from the games due to illegal doping. According to Engadget, security researchers had found hints that Russia-based hackers might disrupt the games as retribution. Russia is denying these claims.
An attack like this proves that no one, not even a major international event like the Winter Olympic Games is immune from a cyberattack, and just how vital cybersecurity is. If you’re interested in how your business can benefit from a cybersecurity plan, learn about MDL’s cybersecurity services.
