Games organizers confirm cyber attack, won't reveal source
Games organizers confirm cyber attack, won't reveal source
By Karolos Grohmann FEBRUARY 10, 2018 / 8:19 PM
PYEONGCHANG, South Korea (Reuters) - Pyeongchang Winter
Olympics organizers confirmed on Sunday that the Games had fallen victim to a
cyber attack during Friday’s opening ceremony, but they refused to reveal the
source.
The Games’ systems, including the internet and television
services, were affected by the hack two days ago but organizers said it had not
compromised any critical part of their operations.
“Maintaining secure operations is our purpose,” said
International Olympic Committee (IOC) spokesman Mark Adams.
“We are not going to comment on the issue. It is one we
are dealing with. We are making sure our systems are secure and they are
secure.”
Asked if organizers knew who was behind the attack, Adams
said: “I certainly don’t know. But best international practice says that you
don’t talk about an attack.”
The Winter Games are being staged only 80km (50 miles)
from the border with North Korea, which is technically still at war with the
South since their 1950-1953 war ended in a truce rather than a peace treaty.
The two teams marched together at an Olympics opening
ceremony for the first time since 2006.
South Korea has been using the Pyeongchang Games to break
the ice with the reclusive North, which has been trading nuclear threats with
the United States recently.
“All issues were resolved and recovered yesterday
morning,” Pyeongchang organizing committee spokesman Sung Baik-you told
reporters.
“We know the cause of the problem but that kind of issues
occurs frequently during the Games. We decided with the IOC we are not going to
reveal the source (of the attack),” he told reporters.
Russia, which has been banned from the Games for doping,
said days before the opening ceremony that any allegations linking Russian
hackers to attacks on the infrastructure connected to the Pyeongchang Olympic
Games were unfounded.
“We know that Western media are planning
pseudo-investigations on the theme of ‘Russian fingerprints’ in hacking attacks
on information resources related to the hosting of the Winter Olympic Games in
the Republic of Korea,” Russia’s foreign ministry said.
“Of course, no evidence will be presented to the world.”
Cyber security researchers said in January they had found
early indications that Russia-based hackers may be planning attacks against
anti-doping and Olympic organizations in retaliation for Russia’s exclusion
from the Pyeongchang Games.
Stakeholders of the Olympics have been wary of the threat
from hacking and some sponsors have taken out insurance to protect themselves
from a cyber attack.
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