Olympic Cyber Attack on the Athletes
If you listened to our interview with Gabriella Coleman, you know that cyber liability is of particular interest to us. That’s why today’s news about the cyber attack into the medical information of some of the top US Olympic athletes caught our eye immediately.
The hacker group “Fancy Bears” is taking credit for the attack which exposed medical information of athletes like Simone Biles and Serena Williams. The information was maintained by the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA). Experts believe the breach was a result of a successful spearphishing attack, specifically targeting WADA employees. This type of targeted attack often uses specific keywords in it’s attempt to bait its target.
As Dave Lee, Technology reporter for the BBC notes,
“Attackers often scour the internet, looking for added information on the target that might make an email more believable. Sometimes even knowing a person’s favorite football team is enough to tip the balance in making a spearphishing email seem genuine.”
And really, who among us wouldn’t be tempted to click a link that urges us to read more about a topic we’re interested in. It’s clear that careful training for employees in cyber attack avoidance is necessary for all organizations. But even with the best training, hackers will surely find a new way into our data. This is why Cyber Liability is so important for any organization. Click here to read more about spearphishing and the attack on WADA.
Learn more about Distinguished Programs cyber liability insurance program today.
