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UK and US blame WannaCry cyber-attack on North Korea Facebook action hints at western retaliation over WannaCry attack
(about 3 hours later)
The Foreign Office has joined the US in publicly blaming North Korea for launching the WannaCry cyber-attack that caused widespread disruption to public services, companies and homes around the world in May. The US and UK may be engaged in cyber-offensives against North Korea in retaliation for attacks such as Wannacry, which caused widespread disruption to public services, companies and homes around the world in May.
The Foreign Office minister Nazir Ahmed said it was “highly likely” that state-sponsored actors were behind the ransomware campaign that crippled hospitals, banks and other infrastructure. Neither the UK nor the US government will confirm whether they have already mounted revenge cyber-attacks against North Korea. However, a hint that action was already being taken was offered on Tuesday when Facebook said it had recently deleted accounts linked ot the Lazarus Group, a hacking entity associated with North Korea that both the US and UK blame for the Wannacry attacks.
“We condemn these actions and commit ourselves to working with all responsible states to combat destructive criminal use of cyberspace. The indiscriminate use of the WannaCry ransomware demonstrates North Korean actors using their cyber programme to circumvent sanctions,” Lord Ahmed said. A spokesperson for the UK’s National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC), the public face of the surveillance agency GCHQ, said on Tuesday: “Our assessment has been that North Korean actors, known as the Lazarus Group, were very likely responsible for the WannaCry attack back in May this year.”
After Ahmed’s intervention, Facebook said it had recently deleted accounts associated with the Lazarus Group, a hacking entity associated with North Korea that both British and US officials said were responsible for the attack. Although the White House only announced on Tuesday that it believed North Korea was behind the attack, it came after an assessment first made by the NCSC in June and announced in the UK in October by the home office minister Ben Wallace.
The US and UK governments went further on Tuesday by suggesting it was highly likely the Lazarus Group was backed by the North Korean government.
The Foreign Office minister for cyber, Tariq Ahmad, said: “We condemn these actions and commit ourselves to working with all responsible states to combat destructive criminal use of cyberspace. The indiscriminate use of the WannaCry ransomware demonstrates North Korean actors using their cyber programme to circumvent sanctions.”
He added: “International law applies online as it does offline. The United Kingdom is determined to identify, pursue and respond to malicious cyber-activity regardless of where it originates, imposing costs on those who wish to attack us in cyberspace. We are committed to strengthening coordinated international efforts to uphold a free, open, peaceful and secure cyberspace.”
The UK Ministry of Defence and GCHQ have a range of options for mounting offensive cyber-attacks that could create disruption in North Korea.
The defence secretary, Gavin Williamson, told the Evening Standard that Britain would “never hesitate to deal with aggression and threats”.
Two Royal Navy warships are heading to join the US in the region.
Williamson said: “North Korea is a massive threat. They are a real danger to this country.”
Tom Bosser, a White House homeland security adviser, said on Tuesday: “Facebook took down accounts and stopped the operational execution of ongoing cyber-attacks and Microsoft acted to patch existing attacks, not just the WannaCry attack initially.”
A Facebook spokesman said on Tuesday the company deleted accounts associated with Lazarus last week “to make it harder for them to conduct their activities”. It also notified individuals in contact with these accounts to suggest they consider enhancing their account security.
Lazarus is widely believed by security researchers and US officials to have been responsible for the 2014 hack of Sony Pictures Entertainment. It destroyed files, leaked corporate communications online and led to the departure of several executives.
In a statement, Facebook said it had acted with Microsoft “and other members of the security community” to disrupt the group’s activities. “Our companies have a history of sharing threat information and working together to protect our users and the web as a whole.”In a statement, Facebook said it had acted with Microsoft “and other members of the security community” to disrupt the group’s activities. “Our companies have a history of sharing threat information and working together to protect our users and the web as a whole.”
Earlier, a senior White House official said the North Korean regime was “directly responsible” for the attack, which affected more than 300,000 computers in 150 countries. The US administration has publicly identified North Korea as the biggest threat to the US, mainly because of progress Pyongyang is making in developing a nuclear warhead and ballistic missile system capable of hitting the US mainland.
“The attack was widespread and cost billions, and North Korea is directly responsible,” Tom Bossert, the homeland security adviser to Donald Trump, wrote in an op-ed piece for the Wall Street Journal. The administration signalled on Monday it could revise its national strategy to make cyber-attacks a new category that could prompt retaliation with a nuclear strike.
Ahmed said Britain would respond to attacks such as WannaCry. Bossert said those responsible for carrying out cyber-attacks would be held accountable, but he did not mention specific action Washington was considering taking against Pyongyang.
“International law applies online as it does offline,” he said. “The United Kingdom is determined to identify, pursue and respond to malicious cyber-activity regardless of where it originates, imposing costs on those who wish to attack us in cyberspace. We are committed to strengthening coordinated international efforts to uphold a free, open, peaceful and secure cyberspace.” In spite of warlike rhetoric from Donald Trump, his security advisers are focused mainly on trying to put pressure on China to deal with North Korea. The US hope is that such rhetoric will alarm Beijing sufficiently to press the North Korean leader, Kim Jong-un, to abandon the nuclear weapons programme in favour of negotiations.
A Foreign Office spokesperson said: “The decision to publicly attribute this incident sends a clear message that the UK and its allies will not tolerate malicious cyber-activity.” News reports quoted a senior Trump administration official as saying the public shaming of North Korea was designed to hold the regime accountable for its actions and “erode and undercut their ability to launch attacks”.
Ahmed’s statement came on the same day that the defence secretary, Gavin Williamson, hardened Britain’s rhetoric on North Korea, saying the UK must “step up” to deal with Pyongyang as it develops missiles that could strike London. Bossert said the US would “publicly attribute” WannaCry to North Korea. He described the attack as “cowardly, costly and careless”.
“This is not just a problem for the United States. This is a global problem. Britain has to step up in terms of dealing with it,” he told the Evening Standard. “We do not make this allegation lightly,” he wrote in an op-ed in the Wall Street Journal. “It is based on evidence. We are not alone with our findings, either. Other governments and private companies agree. The United Kingdom attributes the attack to North Korea, and Microsoft traced the attack to cyber-affiliates of the North Korean government.”
“There are threats emerging right around the world. Britain is a global player, it’s a world player. We will never hesitate to deal with aggression and threats.”
In the US, Bossert said those responsible for carrying out cyber-attacks would be held accountable, but he did not mention specific action Washington was considering taking against Pyongyang.
News reports quoted a senior Trump administration official as saying the US had surmised “with a very high level of confidence” that the Lazarus Group was behind the WannaCry attack.
The official said the public shaming of North Korea was designed to hold the regime accountable for its actions and “erode and undercut their ability to launch attacks”.
The White House has not confirmed the attribution of blame. Bossert said the US would “publicly attribute” WannaCry to North Korea. He described the attack as “cowardly, costly and careless”.
“We do not make this allegation lightly,” he wrote. “It is based on evidence. We are not alone with our findings, either. Other governments and private companies agree. The United Kingdom attributes the attack to North Korea, and Microsoft traced the attack to cyber-affiliates of the North Korean government.”
Bossert added: “North Korea has acted especially badly, largely unchecked, for more than a decade, and its malicious behaviour is growing more egregious.”Bossert added: “North Korea has acted especially badly, largely unchecked, for more than a decade, and its malicious behaviour is growing more egregious.”
He called on governments and businesses to work together to reduce the risks of cyber-attacks and for harsher punishments for the groups and individuals behind them. “Malicious hackers belong in prison, and totalitarian governments should pay a price for their actions,” he said.He called on governments and businesses to work together to reduce the risks of cyber-attacks and for harsher punishments for the groups and individuals behind them. “Malicious hackers belong in prison, and totalitarian governments should pay a price for their actions,” he said.
While North Korea is believed to run a sophisticated cyberwarfare operation that has traditionally targeted South Korea, the regime has repeatedly denied it was behind WannaCry.While North Korea is believed to run a sophisticated cyberwarfare operation that has traditionally targeted South Korea, the regime has repeatedly denied it was behind WannaCry.
Both British and American security services had privately concluded the Lazarus Group was behind the attack over the summer. In June, less than a month after the attack, the National Cybersecurity Centre completed its investigation and decided North Korea was the most likely perpetrator, according to a source.
Ransomware is a particularly nasty type of malware that blocks access to a computer or its data and demands money to release it.Ransomware is a particularly nasty type of malware that blocks access to a computer or its data and demands money to release it.
WannaCry was notable for being one of the first examples of ransomware that was also a worm, meaning it could move automatically from computer to computer. That enabled its rapid spread throughout the world before it was stopped thanks to the accidental discovery of a “killswitch” hidden in its code.WannaCry was notable for being one of the first examples of ransomware that was also a worm, meaning it could move automatically from computer to computer. That enabled its rapid spread throughout the world before it was stopped thanks to the accidental discovery of a “killswitch” hidden in its code.
The malware infected computer systems at NHS hospitals in Britain, forcing thousands of patients to reschedule appointments. FedEx was among the hardest hit of corporate targets, saying it expected a $300m hit to profits as a result of the attack.The malware infected computer systems at NHS hospitals in Britain, forcing thousands of patients to reschedule appointments. FedEx was among the hardest hit of corporate targets, saying it expected a $300m hit to profits as a result of the attack.
The Lazarus Group is also thought to have been behind the 2014 cyber-attack against Sony Pictures, which resulted in the leak of several unreleased films and caused disruption to the company’s email and other parts of its internal computer network. .
That attack forced Sony to cancel the release of The Interview, a comedy about two reporters who are hired by the CIA to assassinate the North Korean leader, Kim Jong-un.