World Anti-Doping Agency hacked by Russian cyber espionage group

The TUE’s of gymnast Simone Biles, tennis stars Serena and Venus Williams and women’s basketball forward Elena Delle Donne were disclosed in the hack.

Niggli revealed that WADA is now contacting those athletes involved, and hit out at the actions of the hackers, whom he claimed were trying to undermine the organisation’s efforts to stamp out the use of banned substances.

Stepanova, who is living in hiding in the United States after lifting the lid on doping in Russian sport, later said she feared for her life following the hack.

“WADA condemns these ongoing cyber-attacks that are being carried out in an attempt to undermine WADA and the global anti-doping system”, said Olivier Niggli, the agency’s director general.

But an independent report commissioned by Wada and published in July by Canadian law professor Richard McLaren concluded that Russian Federation had run an elaborate scheme to evade drug-testers at the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi, corroborating claims by the former head of Russia’s anti-doping laboratory.

The latest incident followed an attack in August during which the personal details of whistle-blower Yuliya Stepanova, a Russian 800m runner, were illegally obtained.

The body however did not implicate the Russian government or any other Russian officials directly.

“The IOC strongly condemns such methods, which clearly aim at tarnishing the reputation of clean athletes”, the spokesperson told AFP.

The motivation behind the hacking and leak is likely retaliation for the banning of much of the Russian Olympic and Paralympic teams due to state sponsored doping.

Those behind the breach have adopted the name Fancy Bears, an apparently tongue-in-cheek reference to a collection of hackers which many security researchers have long associated with Russian Federation.

The hacking group Fancy Bear was previously identified as one of the actors suspected of being behind the hack of the Democratic National Committee in June.

“The U.S. team played well but not fair”.

Internet records suggest Fancy Bears’ data dump has been in the works for at least two weeks; their website was registered on September 1 and their Twitter account was created on September 6. The IOC did not immediately reply to messages from USA TODAY Sports.

It said the information had been accessed via a computer account affiliated with the International Olympic Committee. Gnidenko has been disqualified from two track events at the 2012 London Olympics after her sample from four years earlier tested positive.

Biles tested positive for the stimulant methylphenidate.

“Serena Williams, world’s top tennis player, is taking oxycodone and hydromorphone (opioids), prednisone, prednisolone, and methylprednisolone as well”, it said.