North Korea has carried out WannaCry ransomware attack
WannaCry ransomware cyber attack , where 104 countries hit, India among worst affected, Microsoft President Brad Smith has accused North Korea of carrying out the cyberattack. WannaCry took control of over 200,000 computers in 150 countries and demanded ransom between $300 and $600 in Bitcoin for their encrypted files.
WannaCry is a form of ransomware that locks you out of your Windows operating system. Microsoft President believes that the Pyongyang used “cyber tools or weapons stolen from the NSA”. North Korea using cyber tools or weapons that were stolen from the National Security Agency in the United States.” In the past six months, we have seen many such threats coming to life. “We need governments to come together as they did in Geneva in 1949 and adopt a new digital Geneva Convention that makes clear that these cyber-attacks against civilians, especially in times of peace, are off-limits and a violation of international law,” Smith added.
There have been random speculations that North Korea might have played a significant role in the WannaCry ransomware attack. Britain’s National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) has also pointed out that the Lazarus Group from North Korea was behind the WannaCry attack. The Lazarus Group is believed to be operating from North Korea and has so far caused three major attacks in the world. The first one being the South Korean government in Seoul, followed by the attack on Sony Pictures and the attack on the Bangladesh Bank in 2016.
With the constantly changing virtual world, anonymity is evolving by the day. Going everything digital is never ever advisable. Since, you design certain technology with your own algorithm, code and others are waiting to change or modify it. Various criminal cases are highlighting the very real danger of a simple social media post turning into something much more serious.
The dark side of social media is unimaginable. When WannaCry first appeared in early May, it spread rapidly, affecting hundreds of computers worldwide in less than a day. India was also among the many countries that were affected by the ransomware attack, but it was limited to just a handful of states including Andhra Pradesh, Gujarat, Kerala, West Bengal, Delhi & NCR. The ransomware started encrypting the hard drives and asking for a ransom of $300 in Bitcoin to decrypt it.
Lastly, while new technology innovations continue to bring tremendous benefits to business productivity and our way of life, our increasing digital dependence is also broadening the cyberthreat landscape and creating more risk for enterprises and consumers alike.
The more devices become connected - the Internet of Things, as it's called - the greater the risk for a hack attack. As the technology manufacturers are quickly respond to consumer demand by connecting more and more "things" to the internet, many products are coming to market without leveraging best practices and technologies that could secure these devices and the networks on which they rely. One must understand clearly before adopting to any new technology environments.
Tags: North Korea, WannaCry ransomware attack, wannacry, ransomware, cyber attack, wannacry ransomware cyber attack, microsoft president brad smith, bitcoin, dark side of social media, cyberthreat, varindia
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