The worldwide cyberattack WannaCry targetted the Windows operating system and encrypted the data. The attackers demanded ransom payment in the Bitcoin cryptocurrency, WannaCry cyberattack infected more than 230,000 computers in 150+ countries including the US, UK and India, this made over thousands of users to upgrade to Windows 10 in a few days just after the WannaCry news broke out. Furthermore, it also infected the United Kingdom’s National Health Service, all the enterprises finally started upgrading their machines after understanding the real potential of the cyberattacks.
Microsoft President Brad Smith believes that the WannaCry cyberattack was carried out by North Korea using the cyber tools. In the new interview, Smith claims that the attack was carried out using the “cyber tools or weapons that were stolen from the National Security Agency in the United States.”
“I think over last six months we’ve seen threats come to life, unfortunately, in new and more serious way. The problem has become bigger. “We need governments to come together as they did in Geneva in 1949 and adopt a new digital Geneva Convention that makes clear that these cyber-attacks against civilians, especially in times of peace, are off-limits and a violation of international law.”
Microsoft already patched Windows operating systems despite they are no longer supported. The attackers used the EternalBlue exploit in Windows operating system to take down the businesses across the globe. The emergency patches released by Microsoft for Windows XP and other older versions of Windows, however, helped other businesses to survive.
Just like any ransomware, the WannaCry also locked the users’ data and asked the victims to pay the money to unlock the data. Microsoft’s Brad Smith once again urged the customers and enterprises to keep an up-to-date machine. “Please don’t rely on software that now belongs in a museum,” he added.
