North Korea linked to global cyber attack
According to sources in South Korea the regime of one Kim Jong-un was behind last weeks cyber attack known as Wannacry. To be exact it was a company or a grouping called Lazarus who have links to the government in Pyongyang responsible for the world wide hack attack of last week.
The South Koreans have said this attacks bears all the hall marks of previous attacks either directly launched by North Korea or inspired by them. It is known that the North was behind the hack attack on Sony and the world financial system from a few years ago.
Among the victims of the attack were the UK's NHS which saw their IT systems crash, unable to cope with the Wannacry hack attack. Many hospitals where I live in the north west of England were badly hit with many operations being canceled. It appears the NHS was given information that this attack was coming.
Global hack attack Mafia in style
The Wannacry attack threatened victims with paying up via Bit Coin if they wanted their IT systems working properly again. Before the news came out about a north korean link the hack attack was blamed on criminals and even Russia who have steadfastly denied any links to this attack.
Indeed the Russians even went as far as to blame the template on American style hacking systems copied by the people behind Wannacry.
Russia in the past has been behind hacking attacks with the Kremlin using hacking as just one front in its new cold war with the west. This world wide attack may as well have been launched by the Mafia because its threatening message had all the hall marks of a world wide criminal organisation. It is quite possible that North Korea would co - operate with criminal groups to extort money or for any advantage it could glean for purposes best known to those in Pyongyang.
Going back to South Korea, who have said the North was behind these attacks, they have also stated some of their companies have been hit with this hack too.
Why would the North launch a hack demanding money?
The US administration of Donald Trump has said governments or private companies should not pay up even though some have.
It is understandable the North, like the Russians, would use Cyber Attacks as one front in attacking their enemies but demanding money?
Is the North Korean economy in such a bad way it has to threaten the world to give it finance by criminal means either by co - operating with mafia like groups or behaving in a mafia like way itself? Who knows what goes through the minds of those in charge in Pyongyang where anything is possible as they confront their enemies and strive to be a nuclear power.
Meanwhile, it was one Mark Hutchins in the US who cracked the code and disabled Wannacry allowing many governments and companies around the world to free themselves from the hack. The 22 year old originally of British nationality does not consider himself a hero and stated as far as he was concerned he was just doing his bit.
