Tuesday, December 19th., 2017
They Did It: White House Officially Accuses North Korea of #WannaCry
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Sputnik/ Vladimir Astapkovich
US
White House Homeland security and counterterrorism adviser Tom Bossert
officially accused North Korea of WannaCry cyberattacks that infected
hundreds of thousands computers around the world.
The official statement by Tom Bossert, Homeland Security and
Counterterrorism Adviser, comes in his op-ed published Monday in Wall
Street Journal.
The attack began on Friday, 12 May 2017, and infected more than 230,000 computers in over 150 countries within just a single day. Many companies and public services around the world were affected. The ransomware demanded $300 to $600 in bitcoin as ransom.
"Stopping malicious behavior like this starts with accountability," he writes. "Malicious hackers belong in prison, and totalitarian governments should pay a price for their actions."
The statement also mentions other countries: unsurprisingly, those are Iran and (of course) Russia.
"When we must, the US will act alone to impose costs and consequences for cyber malfeasance," the statement reads.
"The attack was widespread and cost billions, and North Korea is directly responsible," the statement reads.
The attack began on Friday, 12 May 2017, and infected more than 230,000 computers in over 150 countries within just a single day. Many companies and public services around the world were affected. The ransomware demanded $300 to $600 in bitcoin as ransom.
"We do not make this allegation lightly. It is
based on evidence," Bossert writes. "The United Kingdom attributes the
attack to North Korea, and Microsoft traced the attack to cyber
affiliates of the North Korean government."
According to the statement, North Korea must be named accountable for the attack."Stopping malicious behavior like this starts with accountability," he writes. "Malicious hackers belong in prison, and totalitarian governments should pay a price for their actions."
The statement also mentions other countries: unsurprisingly, those are Iran and (of course) Russia.
"We brought charges against Iranian hackers who
hacked several US companies, including HBO. If those hackers travel, we
will arrest them and bring them to justice," the Bossert writes, also
mentioning the Kaspersky software scandal.
The statement also includes mentioning of a direct and one-sided action against North Korea."When we must, the US will act alone to impose costs and consequences for cyber malfeasance," the statement reads.
"Mr. Trump has already pulled many levers
of pressure to address North Korea's unacceptable nuclear and missile
developments, and we will continue to use our maximum pressure strategy
to curb Pyongyang's ability to mount attacks, cyber or otherwise," it
says in conclusion.