Australia has joined the ranks of the US and UK in confirming North Korea was behind the global WannaCry attacks in May.
According to a statement released by the Australian Government, confirmation was made on advice from intelligent agencies and through consultations with allies.
The Prime Minister and the Minister for Foreign Affairs offices have denounced the attacks.
“We condemn North Korea’s use of cybercrime which poses grave risk to the global economy and can have a devastating effect on government operations and services, business activity and the safety and welfare of individuals,” said the statement.
The insidious ransomware, previously believed to have originated in Europe, targeted publicly known vulnerabilities in Microsoft Windows, before spreading the infection to other hosts within a network.
The campaign attacked businesses and public institutions, showing the expensive and rapid global damage cybercrime can cause to critical infrastructure.
According to the statement, the Government is already implementing measures to strengthen Australia’s cyber lines of defence.
“The Government is implementing its Cyber Security Strategy to protect against cyber attacks, and increasing cooperation with the international community through the recently launched International Cyber Engagement Strategy to reinforce control against of malevolent use of cyberspace.
“The Government is committed to making the Australian public sector, businesses and community resilient to evolving cyber threats.”
