The UK blames North Korea for the WannaCry malware attack that crippled the NHS system and struck more than 300,000 computer systems in 150 countries, the UK Security Minister said today.
“I obviously can’t go into the detail of intelligence, but it is widely believed in the community and across a number of countries that North Korea had taken this role,” Wallace said.
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The Government’s revelation came as the National Audit Office released a damning report on NHS cybersecurity standards, telling the health service to “get its act together” or risk suffering an even bigger attack. NHS bodies were warned as early as 2014 that their systems were vulnerable to hackers, according to a report in The Daily Telegraph.
The WannaCry cyberattack targeted computers with outdated security, infecting encrypted data to cripple organisations worldwide - from government agencies to global companies. At least 6,900 NHS appointments were cancelled as a result, 139 of which were urgent referrals for people who potentially had cancer, says the BBC.
An earlier independent investigation found that the NHS cyberattack could have been prevented if basic IT security measures had been taken, says The Independent.
The hackers demanded a ransome of $300 (£229) for each computer, payable in the virtual currency Bitcoin, to unlock files and return them to the user. A BBC investigation in mid-May involving three Bitcoin accounts linked to the attack suggested the hackers had been paid the equivalent of £22,080.