Microsoft Complains State Hacking Tools Fuel Cyberattack Risks
May 14 2017 - 07:33PM
Dow Jones News
By Jay Greene
Microsoft Corp. said that the software tool used in the global
cyber assault that began Friday came from code stolen from the U.S.
National Security Agency, adding that the attack should serve as a
wake-up call for governments over the risks of hoarding such
digital weapons for use against their enemies.
The software giant's statement is the most authoritative
confirmation so far of the connection between the Friday attack and
attack code that was disclosed in April by an anonymous group
called Shadow Brokers, which said it had obtained it from the NSA.
The U.S. spying agency has declined to comment on the matter.
In a blog post Sunday, Brad Smith, Microsoft president and chief
legal officer, said that the U.S. espionage agency authored the
software that was eventually stolen and made its way into the hands
of hackers who used it in the assault that has disrupted computers
in at least 150 countries. He compared it to disclosure of hacking
tools in March by the WikiLeaks organization, which said it had
obtained them from the Central Intelligence Agency.
"Repeatedly, exploits in the hands of governments have leaked
into the public domain and caused widespread damage," Mr. Smith
wrote. "An equivalent scenario with conventional weapons would be
the U.S. military having some of its Tomahawk missiles stolen."
Write to Jay Greene at Jay.Greene@wsj.com
(END) Dow Jones Newswires
May 14, 2017 19:18 ET (23:18 GMT)
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