North Korea

Olympic Organizers Confirm ‘Cyber Attack' During Opening Ceremony

The organizers wouldn't reveal the source of the attack, which they said, did not affect critical parts of their operations

Pyeongchang Winter Olympics organizers confirmed on Sunday that the Games had come under a cyber attack during Friday’s opening ceremony.

The internet and television services were affected by the hack. The organizers wouldn't reveal the source of the attack, which they said, did not affect critical parts of their operations, Reuters reported. 

“Maintaining secure operations is our purpose,” said International Olympic Committee (IOC) spokesman Mark Adams, Reuters reported. 

“We are not going to comment on the issue. It is one we are dealing with. We are making sure our systems are secure and they are secure.”

Organizing committee spokeswoman Nancy Park said Friday night that the opening ceremony went as planned despite the suspected attack. "We just had some issue with our internal system," she said. 

South Korea's Yonhap news agency reported that servers were shut down to prevent damage to technical systems, causing problems with the Pyeongchang Olympic website.

The opening ceremony was attended by several heads of state and included North Korea's ceremonial leader, Kim Yong Nam, and the sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un. Also on hand was U.S. Vice President Mike Pence.

The games are being held about 80 kilometers (50 miles) from the border between North and South Korea, countries that technically have been at war since an armistice in 1953.

An International Olympic Committee spokesman said drones that were scheduled to be used in the opening ceremony were not deployed. Spokesman Mark Adams called it an "impromptu logistical change" and did not say whether it was related to the Wi-Fi and internet outage.

Copyright AP - Associated Press
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