Culture

Russian Hackers Stole IOC Emails

Hacking group Fancy Bears sought revenge for Russia's expulsion from the 2018 Winter Olympics.

January 11, 2018 10:49 am

Outside view of the Russian Olympic Committee building during a session to discuss the IOC decision to suspend the Russian Olympic Committee and let Russian clean athletes compete under a neutral flag at the 2018 Winter Olympic Games in Pyeongchang in Moscow, Russia on December 12, 2017. (Photo by Sefa Karacan/Anadolu Agency/Getty Images)

Russian hackers’ latest target is the International Olympics Committee, apparently spurred on by the IOC’s doping-related ban on Russia’s participation in the upcoming winter games. According to Wired, Fancy Bears, the hacking group believed to be the same organization as the now-famous Fancy Bear, obtained emails spanning from the end of 2016 to the middle of 2017. The hack sought to prove the anti-Russian bias implicit in the ban. One of the main targets was Richard McLaren, a lawyer significantly involved in the year-long investigation into Russian doping. There is no evidence yet to suggest that Fancy Bears revealed any damning evidence in the stolen emails.