The Washington Post said there was “moderate confidence” in the report’s findings, while the spy agency said the worm was meant to boost regime coffers. Security company Symantec also believes a hacking group linked to North Korea was behind the attack. But North Korea’s involvement has been disputed by other security firms.
Cashing out
Wannacry victims included more than 60 NHS trusts in the UK as well as Fedex, Renault and Telefonica. Those hit by the worm were asked to pay a ransom to have their data restored. The newspaper said the NSA report claims that the worm was created by a hacker group “sponsored” by North Korea’s spy agency – the Reconnaissance General Bureau. The assessment chimes with conclusions drawn by Symantec which said it was put together by the Lazarus hacker group working on behalf of the regime.