While the World Anti-Doping Agency is out here trying to prevent athletes from dirtying up sports, it may want to look at how to prevent hackers from breaking into its computer databases.
According to The Atlantic, a hacking group called “Fancy Bears Hack Team” is claiming to have broken into WADA's database and released medical records for top-name athletes including Simone Biles and the Williams sisters.
WADA confirmed the breach, but it is unclear whether the records released are accurate.
Fancy Bears posted a message on its website saying that although the U.S. dominated the Rio de Janeiro Olympic Games, the U.S. didn't play fair.
"After detailed studying of the hacked WADA databases we figured out that dozens of American athletes had tested positive. The Rio Olympic medalists regularly used illicit strong drugs justified by certificates of approval for therapeutic use," the site read. "In other words they just got their licenses for doping. This is other evidence that WADA and IOC's [International Olympic Committee’s] Medical and Scientific Department are corrupt and deceitful."
The Fancy Bears hackers, believed to be Russian, released downloadable medical records on their site targeting Simone Biles, Serena and Venus Williams, and basketball player Elena Delle, The Atlantic reports. Some of the drugs listed are used for illnesses like attention deficit hyperactivity disorder and asthma. While the authenticity of the records released has not been confirmed, Biles tweeted:
The Atlantic notes that this is the second time that WADA's database has been compromised. In August, hackers gained medical records of Russian athlete Yuliya Stepanova, who was instrumental in uncovering a "state-sponsored doping scheme in Russia." Stepanova was forced out of her home after hackers learned her address.
Read more at The Atlantic.