The WannaCry computer worm, a ransomware attack that infected more than 300,000 people in about 150 countries just weeks ago, is being blamed on North Korea.
The Washington Post reported that the National Security Agency has "moderate confidence" that North Korea is responsible for WannaCry, citing alleged hackers that have the sponsorship of North Korea's spy agency, the Reconnaissance General Bureau.
The attack caused many organizations to shut down, including hospitals, according to The Verge.
Companies like FedEx, Renault and Telefonica were among those affected by the hack, BBC News noted.
Not only did organizations lose data, but they were asked to pay a ransom to get it back.
The group of hackers in question is known as the Lazarus Group, a cybercrime group that's said to have links to North Korea, the Post said. North Korea has been linked to cyberattacks on banks in Asia and the 2014 hack of Sony Pictures Entertainment.
North Korea reportedly raised $140,000 in bitcoin from WannaCry, The Washington Post noted.
"What it really confirms is that...you don't have to be the best in the business to cause a lot of disruption," said Michael Sulmeyer, director of the cybersecurity project at Harvard's Kennedy School, according to the Post. "And that's what they showed they were willing and able to do."
"This is a case where you've got a weaponized, government-sponsored exploit [or hacking tool] being used to deliver ransomware," said Jake Williams, founder of security firm Rendition Infosec, told the Post. "If North Korea goes unchecked with this, I would expect other developing nations to follow suit. I think that would change the cyberthreat landscape quite a bit."
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