US officials: Russia is responsible for Olympics cyberattack, not North Korea

Julie Spitzer -

U.S. intelligence blamed Russia for hacking hundreds of computers used in South Korea during the 2018 Winter Olympic Games, according to The Washington Post.

Authorities in PyeongChang confirmed the Games fell victim to a cyberattack during the Opening Ceremonies Feb. 9, when hackers used North Korean IP addresses to break into officials' computers.The cyberattack caused widespread internet interruptions and some attendees were unable to print their tickets for the event.

Analysts claim Russia was behind the attack as a retaliation against the International Olympic Committee for its ban on Russian athletes from participating in the Games under the Russian flag. The ban stemmed from an investigation that revealed widespread, government-sponsored doping.

Russian military agency GRU had access to as many as 300 Olympic computers as early as February, The Post reports. GRU hackers are believed to operate out of the agency's Main Center for Special Technology, which was behind last year's NotPetya cyberattack.

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