Russian hackers leak confidential medical files of Olympic athletes

The World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) said Tuesday it had been the victim of an attack by Russian hackers who accessed athlete data related to the Rio Olympic Games.

A "Russian cyber espionage group operator by the name of Tsar Team (APT28)" gained access to WADA's Anti-Doping Administration and Management System (ADAMS), the agency said. They got in via an International Olympic Committee account for the Rio games.

Tsar Team, which has also been named Fancy Bear by cybersecurity company CrowdStrike, is widely believed to be behind the Democratic Party hacks in June.

The information the group seized includes confidential medical data, for example Therapeutic Use Exemptions that permit athletes to use certain prohibited drugs if they have an illness or condition that requires that medicine.

The hackers have released some information into the public domain and have said more will follow.

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The investigation into the breach is ongoing, but WADA believes spear phishing was the technique of choice and that other ADAMS data is unaffected.

Athletes affected include Serena Williams and Simone Biles. Medical reports listing drugs they were cleared to use are posted on the website of the hackers.

"WADA deeply regrets this situation and is very conscious of the threat that it represents to athletes whose confidential information has been divulged through this criminal act," said Olivier Niggli, the director general of WADA.

"WADA condemns these ongoing cyber-attacks that are being carried out in an attempt to undermine WADA and the global anti-doping system," he added. "WADA has been informed by law enforcement authorities that these attacks are originating out of Russia.

"Let it be known that these criminal acts are greatly compromising the effort by the global anti-doping community to re-establish trust in Russia further to the outcomes of the Agency's independent McLaren Investigation Report."

Travis T. Tygart, the CEO of the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency, said the "cyber-bullying of innocent athletes... is cowardly and despicable."

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ADAMS was also targeted in August, WADA noted on Tuesday, when hackers obtained the password of Yuliya Stepanova, the WADA whistleblower who helped expose systemic Russian doping.