“WannaCry” ransomware showed traces of North Korean codeMay 16, 2017 - 12:47 AMT PanARMENIAN.Net - For all the damage the "WannaCry" ransomware has done, there's still one looming, unanswered question: who's behind it? At last, there might be a clue. Google researcher Neel Mehta has noticed that an early version of WannaCry's code shares similarities with a February 2015 sample from the Lazarus Group, a North Korea-linked outfit blamed for both the Sony Pictures hack as well as the Bangladesh Bank heist. The code changed between then and now, but it at least raises the possibility that North Korea was involved, Engadget said. There is a chance that someone borrowed the code, whether out of convenience or as an attempt to throw investigators off the scent. However, experts at Kaspersky argue that a deliberate plant is "improbable" given that the similar code was removed later on. And besides, the presence of kill switches in both original and modified versions of WannaCry supports the notion that these are state-sponsored hackers. As FOX-IT's Maarten van Danzig explains to Ars Technica, run-of-the-mill criminals rarely include failsafe measures like this -- why would they want to stop the money from pouring in? Moreover, the malware doesn't even bother to automatically check whether or not victims have paid up. If profit was really the motive, the code was exceptionally sloppy. It's going to take much more research before experts can pin down WannaCry's origins, assuming that's possible. You certainly won't get a confession from North Korea even if there's smoking gun evidence of its involvement. However, what's here at least gives investigators a starting point, Engadget said. Top stories Yerevan will host the 2024 edition of the World Congress On Information Technology (WCIT). Rustam Badasyan said due to the lack of such regulation, the state budget is deprived of VAT revenues. Krisp’s smart noise suppression tech silences ambient sounds and isolates your voice for calls. Gurgen Khachatryan claimed that the "illegalities have been taking place in 2020." Partner news Most popular in the section | The Power of One Dram to benefit Road of Life charity The companies inform that the May beneficiary of The Power of One Dram is the “Road of Life” charitable organization. Kazakhstan welcomes Yerevan, Baku’s agreement to meet in Almaty Kassym-Jomart Tokayev has welcomed the agreement of Baku and Yerevan to hold negotiations in Almaty. Armenia offers to temporarily host, preserve Gaza manuscripts The Armenian Foreign Minister has said Yerevan is ready to help preserve manuscripts from the conflict zone in Gaza. Aliyev says no need for mediators in Armenia-Azerbaijan process Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev believes that Baku and Yerevan do not mediators in the process of normalizing relations. |