At Least 12 Nations Hit by N.S.A. Hacking Tool

[WestVirginiaRebel]

NY Times

LONDON — Hackers using a tool stolen from the United States government conducted extensive cyberattacks on Friday that hit vast sections of Europe and Asia, severely disrupting Britain’s public health system and wreaking havoc on computers in at least 11 other countries, including Russia.

Hospitals in Britain appeared to be the most severely affected by the attacks, which aimed to blackmail computer users by seizing their data. The attacks blocked doctors’ access to patient files and forced emergency rooms to divert people seeking urgent care.

It was not immediately clear who was behind the attacks, but the acts deeply alarmed cybersecurity experts and underscored the enormous vulnerabilities faced by disjointed networks of computer systems around the world.

“When people ask what keeps you up at night, it’s this,” said Chris Camacho, the chief strategy officer at Flashpoint, a New York security firm tracking the attacks.

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