U.S. Blames North Korea for WannaCry Ransomware
The United States, represented by the Trump administration, has placed the blame on North Korea for the widespread WannaCry cyber attack that hit companies and public services worldwide.
Earlier this year, hundreds of thousands of computers around the world came under the grip of the WannaCry as the malware disabled workstations in homes as well as key facilities like hospitals and banks.
"The attack was widespread and cost billions, and North Korea is directly responsible," Tom Bossert, Homeland Security adviser to the current administration, wrote in an article published on Monday, Dec. 18.
The National Security Agency has suggested links between the ransomware and the North Korea regime as early as June this year.
"North Korea has acted especially badly, largely unchecked, for more than a decade, and its malicious behavior is growing more egregious," Bossert added, as quoted by Reuters.
"WannaCry was indiscriminately reckless," the Homeland Security adviser emphasized.
An internal report by the NSA suggests that a North Korean agency called the Reconnaissance General Bureau played a part in creating computer worm, according to sources as reported earlier by the Washington Post.
An earlier study of WannaCry's code by private cybersecurity firms and researchers also suggested ties to the North Korean Group. Britain's National Cyber Security Center (NCSC) has also reportedly attributed WannaCry to North Korea, as well.
WannaCry made headlines earlier this year when it spread to more than 300,000 computers in more than 150 countries in just a few weeks. The ransomware replaces important files with versions locked via encryption, and it threatens to render them unusable if the user does not pay $300 to $600 within a set deadline.
The ransomers asked for payments in Bitcoin to a specified account, which has since been emptied, presumably by the creators of WannaCry.
For their part, the North Korean government has repeatedly denied being behind the malware.
