Countries across the globe scrambled to respond to a malicious “ransomware” virus, as internet security watchdogs said the attack had disproportionately targeted Russia.
The Russian cyber security firm Kaspersky Labs was among the first to identify the so-called “Wanna Cry” malware — a viral worm that exploits a vulnerability in the Windows operating system to encrypt files without users permission.
A group of hackers known as “The Shadow Brokers” are widely believed to have stolen the program from the U.S. National Security Agency last April and deployed it as a means to ransom user data around the world for cash profits.
Kaspersky Labs …read more
Source: Voice of America
