The Washington Post

National Security

Russian spies hacked the

Olympics and tried to make it
look like North Korea did it,
U.S. officials say
By Ellen Nakashima February 24 at 6:26 PM

Russian military spies hacked several hundred computers used by authorities at the 2018 Winter Olympic Games in South
Korea, according to U.S. intelligence.

They did so while trying to make it appear as though the intrusion was conducted by North Korea, what is known as a “false-
flag” operation, said two U.S. officials who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss a sensitive matter.

Officials in PyeongChang acknowledged that the Games were hit by a cyberattack during the Feb. 9 Opening Ceremonies but
had refused to confirm whether Russia was responsible. That evening there were disruptions to the Internet, broadcast systems
and the Olympics website. Many attendees were unable to print their tickets for the ceremony, resulting in empty seats.

Analysts surmise the disruption was retaliation against the International Olympic Committee for banning the Russian team
from the Winter Games due to doping violations. No officials from Russia’s Olympic federation were allowed to attend, and
while some athletes were permitted to compete under the designation “Olympic Athletes from Russia,” they were unable to
display the Russian flag on their uniforms and, if they won medals, their country’s anthem was not played.

As of early February, the Russian military agency GRU had access to as many as 300 Olympic-related computers, according to
an intelligence report this month.

The Office of the Director of National Intelligence declined to comment.

The intelligence, which has not been publicly affirmed, is consistent with reports from private-sector analysts who have said
they saw signs Russia had targeted the 2018 Olympics. It also would continue a pattern of such attempts, including during the
2016 Summer Games in Rio de Janeiro.
Some U.S. officials are concerned the Russians may try to disrupt the Closing Ceremonies on Sunday. “We’re watching it pretty
closely,” said one. “It’s essentially a Korean problem,” the official added. “We will help the Koreans as requested.”

Apart from accessing the computers, GRU cyber-operators also hacked routers in South Korea last month and deployed new
malware on the day the Olympics began, according to Western intelligence agencies. Such access could enable intelligence
collection or network attacks, officials said.

It is not clear whether the disruptions during the Opening Ceremonies were the result of that access, but the development is
concerning regardless, information security experts said.

“Anyone who controls a router would be able to redirect traffic for one or more selected targets or cause total disruption in the
network by stopping the routing entirely,” said Jake Williams, a former National Security Agency cyber-operator and co-
founder of Rendition Infosec, a cybersecurity firm.

“Development of router malware is extremely costly, and Russia would likely use it only in locations where it contributes to
accomplishing a high-value goal,” said Williams.

The GRU hackers are thought to work for the agency’s Main Center for Special Technology, or GTsST, according to intelligence
agencies. That unit has been highly active in information warfare against the West and was behind the NotPetya cyberattack
that crippled computers in Ukraine last year.

Two years ago, the GRU penetrated a database containing drug test results and confidential medical data, and posted
information about noteworthy U.S. athletes including tennis stars Serena and Venus Williams, four-time gymnastics gold
medalist Simone Biles and women’s basketball standout Elena Delle Donne.

That action was widely seen as payback after nearly every member of Russia’s track and field team was banned from the 2016
Olympics. Numerous investigations uncovered a widespread, government-run doping scheme that dated back years.

Russia has a long history of undertaking such “active measures” against the Olympic Games, noted Thomas Rid, a professor of
strategic studies at Johns Hopkins University. During the 1984 Olympics in Los Angeles, Soviet intelligence released fake Ku
Klux Klan leaflets threatening violence against African athletes as part of an effort to embarrass the United States, he said. That
year, the Soviets led a 14-nation boycott of the Games in retaliation for a U.S. boycott of the 1980 Summer Games in Moscow,
which was prompted by the Soviets’ 1979 invasion of Afghanistan.

The 1984 effort failed, Rid said, because the U.S. government “very quickly” revealed the Soviet attempt. As a result, no African
athletes withdrew from the Games.

While “old-school” tactics relied on leaflets among other things, the Internet has provided new tools to spread disinformation,
he said.
In this case, the GRU sought to make it appear as though the intrusions were the work of North Korean hackers by using North
Korean IP addresses and other tactics, said the officials. Such deception is common for the GRU.

 297 Comments

Ellen Nakashima is a national security reporter for The Washington Post. She covers cybersecurity, surveillance,
counterterrorism and intelligence issues.

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All Comments (297) Viewing Options

fairy godmother 1 day ago

Honestly, hacking into the Olympics, attacking US troops in Syria, meddling in everyone's elections
and society, have these people gone berserk? When we get rid of the russian traitor and his criminal
grifters who stole the White House, we have to confront this rogue nation and destabilize putin for the
sake of humanity.
Like  38 Reply  Link  Report 

paula41 1 day ago

There is no "these people." There is Putin and his mobster friends who control every aspect of
Russian life. Putin is running unopposed for his 4th term -- and managed to become one of the
wealthiest people on the planet though he has only ever worked for the government. He and his
friends control every resource in their country and are looking to expand. And they want to sow
chaos across the globe so there are no effective voices to call BS on their criminal activity.
Like  17 Reply  Link  Report 

petr skokan 20 hours ago

There is enough Russians supporting that anyway. Inferiority complex among Russians is
widespread and strengthen by nationalistic propaganda. That is a reality.
Like  3 Reply  Link  Report 

vk23891 9 hours ago

Well you'd be surprised by how many Russians support Putin and his regime. So yes, there is
"these people".
Like  1 Reply  Link  Report 

vk23891 9 hours ago

I honestly don't trust Russians in general. Sorry. A weird mentality they have.
Like  1 Reply  Link  Report 

old_lib 1 day ago

And yet the Commie-in-Chief in the Orange House does nothing about the Russian sanctions that were
passed by Congress almost unanimously,
Like  24 Reply  Link  Report 

ritat3aces 1 day ago

GOP = Government of Putin
Like  9 Reply  Link  Report 

bayanera 1 day ago

GOP=Gone Of Principles
Like  5 Reply  Link  Report 
 bayanera 1 day ago
He still thinks he won the election fair and square.
Like  7 Reply  Link  Report 

russian bot 42 23 hours ago

What do you mean he does nothing? Just yesterday he told us that we were doing a wonderful job.
Beep.
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mick719 1 day ago

it is past time to shut the Russians down.
Like  23 Reply  Link  Report 

ghostofthefairnessdoctrine 1 day ago

And it's not even as if Russia has just targeted the US, either. So there should be plenty of like-
minded nations.
"As an FSB officer in the 1990s, Litvinenko had been shocked to discover how thoroughly organised
crime had penetrated Russia’s security organs. In his view, criminal ideology had replaced
communist ideology. He was the first to describe Putin’s Russia as a mafia state, in which the roles
of government, organised crime and the spy agencies had grown indistinguishable."
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2016/jan/19/alexander-litvinenko-the-man-who-solved-his-
own-murder
Like  5 Reply  Link  Report 

.morticia 1 day ago

Russia are pathetic sore losers. They get caught doping and then instead of cleaning up their game they
want to spoil it for everyone.

Seriously, who dopes for curling?

Like  19 Reply  Link  Report 

paula41 1 day ago

Let's be clear. There are the Russian people, and there is Putin and his crime-family associates. The
people of Russia aren't voting to hack the Olympics.
Like  10 Reply  Link  Report 

Observator 1 day ago

Spoken like a true diplomat.
 p p

You should get out of this echo chamber though. Us people out here in the real world can see
through the kayfabe.

We know why you're trying to Make McCarthyism Great Again.

Like  Reply  Link  Report 

quintessential 1 day ago

Then, the Russian people need to overthrow Putin and his oligarchs the way the Ukrainians did.
Like  5 Reply  Link  Report 

chrishistorian 1 day ago

The Russian people have about as much of a chance at overthrowing Putin as the Chinese at
Tienanmen Square did at overthrowing their rulers. Yeltsin and the opposition to the Soviet
system only got the opportunity they got because hardliners did something extraordinarily
stupid, they attempted a coup. Furthermore, unlike Gorbachev, Putin has absolutely no
scruples and has ordered the murder or imprisonment of several opposition politicians.

A nation of 143 million people isn't responsible for this. Putin's government is responsible for
this.
Like  4 Reply  Link  Report 

sixwordsfan 1 day ago

I was about to ask that! Maybe they should sponsor games where doping is required, if that would
satisfy their insane need to be dirty. I wonder if the avarage Russian is as gobsmacked as we average
Americans in regards to our respective govts and their dumbfounding actions.
Like  1 Reply  Link  Report 

Observator 1 day ago

Nothing says "sore loser" like blaming EVERY election you've lost in the 21st century on someone
("Republicans" circa 2000, "Russians" circa 2016) else, like you were "robbed."

Like  Reply  Link  Report 

pseudonym 12 hours ago

A sore winner (Trump and Company), is worse than a sore loser.
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mr.robot 1 day ago (Edited)
While there are always vulnerabilities that can and will be exposed, why make it easy for the Russians.
just a TIP, NEVER Buy or use any product from Kaspersky! That is an easy conduit into your system
and networks.
Like  17 Reply  Link  Report 

thaddeus7 17 hours ago

I look forward to more investigation into the financial and political ties between Russia and the NRA.
Like  16 Reply  Link  Report 

somewhere az 1 day ago

Now there is another reason to ban them from the Olympics on top of the doping scandal.
Like  15 Reply  Link  Report 

areawoman 20 hours ago (Edited)

Rather than figure out a way to stop having his soldiers get killed in Syria, Putin attacks the Olympics.

What a pathetic little man.

Like  14 Reply  Link  Report 

maria gambrelli 20 hours ago

Rather than figure out a way to stop having American soldiers and hundreds of thousands of
civilians get killed in Syria, Afghanistan, Libya, Iraq, the US come up with another cheaply cooked
lie.
What a hopelessly failed country.
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linerider 1 day ago

But these are the guys that Trump and the Republican party are enamored with.
Like  14 Reply  Link  Report 

amb0112358 1 day ago

I'm so sick of Russia's cr@p.
Like  13 Reply  Link  Report 

russian bot 42 23 hours ago (Edited)

Now you know how the Middle East and Latin America feel about the US.
Like  1 Reply  Link  Report 

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