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Global cyber-attacks linked to North Korea, researchers say

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Global cyber-attacks linked to North Korea, researchers say

The global WannaCry “ransomware” cyberattack that has infected more than 300,000 computers in 150 countries since Friday has been linked to North Korea according to researchers.

Symantec and Kaspersky Lab said on Monday that some code in an earlier version of the WannaCry software had also appeared in programmes used by the Lazarus Group, which researchers from many companies have identified as a North Korea-run hacking operation.

Tens of thousands of computers in nearly 100 countries were affected last week by a global cyber-attack using hacking tools believed to have been created by the US National Security Agency (NSA).

Read also: Another major cyber-attack imminent, experts warn

Cyber-extortionists on Friday tricked victims into opening malicious malware attachments to spam emails that appeared to contain invoices, job offers, security warnings, and other legitimate files.

Researchers with security software maker Avast said they had observed 57,000 infections in 99 countries with Russia, Ukraine, and Taiwan being the top targets.

The most disruptive attacks were reported in Britain, where hospitals and clinics were forced to turn away patients after losing access to computers.

 

 

 

 

 

 

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