Defeating a Tamper-Proof Bottle
Here’s an interesting case of doctored urine-test samples from the Sochi Olympics. Evidence points to someone defeating the tamper resistance of the bottles:
Berlinger bottles come in sets of two: one for the athlete’s “A” sample, which is tested at the Games, and the other for the “B” sample, which is used to corroborate a positive test of the A sample. Metal teeth in the B bottle’s cap lock in place, so it cannot be twisted off.
“The bottles are either destroyed or retain visible traces of tampering if any unauthorized attempt is made to open them,” Berlinger’s website says about the security of the bottles.
The only way to open the bottle, according to Berlinger, is to use a special machine sold by the company for about $2,000; it cracks the bottle’s cap in half, making it apparent that the sample has been touched.
Yet someone figured out how to open the bottles, swap out the liquid, and replace the caps without leaving any visible signs of tampering.
EDITED TO ADD: There’s a new article on how they did it.
In Room 124, Dr. Rodchenkov received the sealed bottles through the hole and handed them to a man who he believed was a Russian intelligence officer. The man took the bottles to a building nearby. Within a few hours, the bottles were returned with the caps loose and unbroken.
One commenter complained that I called the bottles “tamper-proof,” even though I used the more accurate phrase “tamper-resistance” in the post. Yes, that was sloppy.
Robert • May 16, 2016 6:34 AM
The account does not imply that the bottles were opened. It only implies that the old cap was removed and an intact cap (maybe a different one) with the same code was provided. If one had the ability to engrave the 7-digit code onto a cap and had a supply of caps without any code the rest should be easy.