Russian hackers are after drug testing organisations
Fancy Bear, a hacking crew from Russia, has chosen drug testing organisations as targets for their cyber mischief.
The question is, what do they stand to gain from it?
Since 16th September this year, more than 16 anti-doping and sporting organisations were targeted by hackers.
Not all attempts were successful – the majority were not – but some concern is justified.
They resorted to these moves:
- Custom malware
- Brute force attacks
- Social engineering
Fancy Bear is known to be working hand-in-hand with the Russian government.
Among their other objectives, spying on the neighbours and influencing American politics are also on the list.
This isn’t the first time that the Russian hacker group has taken an interest in anti-doping organisations.
In 2018, the US court indicted its members for carrying out cybercrimes the same year.
If anything of notable importance is to be remembered from 2016, it’s the Russian doping scandal.
Fancy Bear was spying on the investigators who handled the case.
They were not only spying on their correspondence but also posted it online.
Since they see no obstacles in going after doping officials, we should be mindful of their next moves.
Tom Burt, a cybersecurity professional at Microsoft, noted that raising awareness among organisations is crucial for them to protect themselves.