Cybersecurity

North Korea was behind WannaCry ransomware cyber attack that disabled the NHS in May, claims UK security minister

North Korea has been publicly blamed by the UK's Security Minister for the WannaCry cyber attack which hit the NHS.

Home Office Minister Ben Wallace said the Government believed 'quite strongly' that a foreign state was behind the ransomware attack and named North Korea.

Pyongyang has been widely blamed for the May cyber attack in security circles, and Microsoft's president, Brad Smith, has also pointed the finger at Kim Jong Un's secretive state.

Mr Wallace said: 'This attack, we believe quite strongly that it came from a foreign state. North Korea was the state that we believe was involved this worldwide attack.'

He told BBC Radio 4's Today programme that 'we can be as sure as possible' and 'it is widely believed in the community and across a number of countries that North Korea had taken this role'.

Mr Wallace suggested the attack could have been motivated by an attempt by the economically isolated state to access foreign funds.