WannaCry ransomware virus possibly linked to North Korea, researchers say according to : UPI

May 16 (UPI) -- Cybersecurity researchers said the WannaCry malware virus code is similar to one used by the cybercrime network that struck Sonyin 2014, raising speculation the global attack was sponsored by North Korea. "Looking back to the Bangladesh attack, in the early days, there were very few facts linking them to the Lazarus group," Kaspersky Labs added. Matt Suiche, a cybersecurity researcher based in the United Arab Emirates, said "potential​ links to North Korea have been found" after analyzing and comparing the code from WannaCry and from the previous Lazarus Group virus. Companies and governments in at least 150 countries were attacked by WannaCry starting Friday when the malware virus demanded $300 per computer to restore access after taking control of computer systems. Kaspersky Labs, a cybersecurity firm based in Moscow, said Google researcher Neel Mehta first disclosed the similarity in the code from the WannaCry virus and a virus directed by the cybercrime network called the Lazarus Group in February 2015.




In constructing these systems, security is not always high on the list. But in the end, it takes a lot of stupid humans doing many dumb things to allow the worst to happen. It look a lot of people ignoring a lot of warnings over a lot of years to reach this point. While the virus appears to be slowing, the fear now revolves around reports that new variations have started to appear. It's that it's happening almost exactly as security researchers have been warning us it would happen for years now.

WannaCry ransomware virus attack sends cybersecurity stocks higher

(Photo: YONHAP, EPA)The massive attack of the 'WannaCry' ransomware virus that infected computers around the world prompted a Monday surge in cybersecurity stocks as investors sought safety. TimeEmployees monitoring possible "WannaCry" ransomware cyberattacks at the Korea Internet and Security Agency (KISA) in Seoul, South Korea. The WannaCry virus spreads among computers running on Microsoft's Windows operating systems, infecting and then locking individual machines. Symantec (SYMC), a global security and information management company headquartered in Mountain View, Cal., closed at $32 a share, 3.2% higher. CLOSE Skip in Skip x Embed x Share Criminals use ransomware to extort money from individual users and big businesses.


collected by :Sandra Alex
To follow all the new news about

VIRUSES and INFECTIONS