Norwegian officials are looking into a potential cybercrime after they noticed a massive surge in betting activity on this year's Nobel Peace Prize winner, several hours before the official announcement was made. The convenient timing, coupled with the sheer amount of money wagered, means the Norwegian Nobel Institute is treating it as a possible case of espionage.
Before the big announcement, the Polymarket prediction platform had Venezuelan opposition leader Maria Corina Machado's odds of winning around just 3.75%. Those odds skyrocketed to nearly 73% as of last Thursday night which gave way to the Friday morning of the announcement. This was with no prior media speculation ranking her among the frontrunners, too. By 13 October, Norwegian Nobel Institute director and Nobel Committee secretary Kristian Berg Harpviken told press that the institute had launched a formal probe into the matter.[1]
One particular account wagered about $70,000 on Machado's victory just hours before the announcement, netting about $30,000 in profit as a result. The trader's account was newly opened and had no history of betting on other events before the big win. Two other accounts focused almost exclusively on Machado made a combined profit of about $90,000 as well. Betting culture in sports has already faced criticism lately, especially with the rise of things like official betting apps for pro sports leagues, but this possible crime takes things to a whole new level.
The Nobel Peace Prize is a prestigious international award presented annually to individuals or organizations that have made significant contributions to peace, human rights, and the resolution of conflicts.
This article is shared with permission at no charge for educational and informational purposes only.
Red Sky Alliance is a Cyber Threat Analysis and Intelligence Service organization. We provide indicators of compromise information via a notification service (RedXray) or an analysis service (CTAC). For questions, comments or assistance, please contact the office directly at 1-844-492-7225, or feedback@redskyalliance.com
Weekly Cyber Intelligence Briefings:
- Reporting: https://www.redskyalliance.org/
- Website: https://www.redskyalliance.com/
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/64265941
Weekly Cyber Intelligence Briefings:
REDSHORTS - Weekly Cyber Intelligence Briefings
https://register.gotowebinar.com/register/5207428251321676122
[1] https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/world/possible-nobel-leak-was-likely-espionage-committee-secretary-says/ar-AA1OnIBP/
Comments