British and American officials have named the number of the Russian military intelligence unit that allegedly carried out cyberattacks to prevent the Olympics and Paralympics from being held in the Japanese capital.
The Justice Department’s indictment says that six members of that unit have played a vital role in the attacks on targets from the 2018 Winter Olympics in South Korea to the 2017 French elections. Charges have already been brought against the suspects.
British officials said the hackers also carried out cyberintelligence operations against the organizers of the Tokyo 2020 Olympics, which were postponed due to the coronavirus outbreak.
Officials declined to provide specific details about the attacks or whether they were successful. Still, they said the hackers targeted Olympic Games organizers, suppliers, logistics specialists, and sponsors.
“The actions of the GRU against the Olympic and Paralympic Games are cynical and reckless. We condemn them in the strongest possible terms,” said British Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab.
“The FBI has repeatedly warned that Russia is a highly-skilled cyber adversary and the information presented in this indictment illustrates how pervasive and destructive Russian cyber activities really are,” said FBI Deputy Director David Bowdich.
