In wake of last week ’ s ransomware attack Attack.Ransom , technology specialists warn that ‘ paying money Attack.Ransom to a criminal is never a good idea ’ Cybersecurity experts have warned businesses against meeting hackers ’ demands for money Attack.Ransom in the wake of the “unprecedented” attack Attack.Ransom on hundreds of thousands of computer systems around the world . Ransomware is a type of malicious software that blocks access to a computer or its data and demands money Attack.Ransom to release it . The worm used in Friday ’ s attack Attack.Ransom , dubbed WannaCry or WanaCrypt0r , encrypted more than 200,000 computers in more than 150 countries for ransoms Attack.Ransom of $ 300 to $ 600 to restore access . The full damage of the attack and its economic cost was still unclear , but Europol ’ s director , Rob Wainwright , said its global reach was precedented , and more victims were likely to become known in the coming days . The extent of the WannaCry attack Attack.Ransom prompted questions about what to do in the event of a ransomware infection , with many experts advising against paying the ransom Attack.Ransom , saying not only could it fail to release the data , it could expose victims to further risk . Peter Coroneos , the former chief executive of the Internet Industry Association and an expert on cyber policy , said whether or not to agree to ransomware demands Attack.Ransom presented practical and ethical dilemmas . “ These people are criminals , and paying money to a criminal is never a good idea . However , if it ’ s a trade-off between losing your lifetime ’ s family photos and making a payment Attack.Ransom to a criminal , then it ’ s up to the individual to make that judgment call . “ It would be very hard to walk away. ” But Gregory said it would be “ self-defeating ” for hackers not to release data upon receipt of a ransom Attack.Ransom , “ because that would immediately hit the media , and no one would pay ” . But not all ransomware attacks Attack.Ransom were motivated by financial gains , he added . “ If they ’ re a professional criminal organisation , their business model will be to release people ’ s computers once they ’ ve paid the money Attack.Ransom , but you don ’ t know . It could be someone having a laugh , or someone who ’ s trying to learn , or someone who ’ s released it accidentally . “ You just do not know – that ’ s the problem. ” With such attacks hitting computer systems at an “ ever-increasing rate ” , Gregory said prevention was the best course of action . With outdated operating systems “ easy targets ” , he urged individuals and businesses to automate updates and invest in software that protected against viruses , malware and ransomware across not only their computers , but tablets and mobile phones as well . “ It ’ s a combination of factors that will keep people safe ... For individuals , families have got to work together and companies have to take the time to ensure that their cybersecurity practices are up to date. ” Gregory recommended regular if not daily backups of personal data , which would allow victims to wipe the infected computer , reload their data , and start again .

The White House has publicly blamed North Korea for a ransomware attack Attack.Ransom in May that locked more than 300,000 computers in 150 countries . `` North Korea has acted especially badly , largely unchecked , for more than a decade , '' Homeland Security adviser Tom Bossert said at a White House briefing Tuesday morning . He called the WannaCry attack Attack.Ransom a reckless attack that caused `` havoc and destruction '' by locking vital information away from users , including hospital networks . `` We believe now we have the evidence to support this assertion , '' Bossert said . `` It 's very difficult to do when you 're looking for individual hackers . In this case , we found a concerted effort . '' In an opinion piece published in The Wall Street Journal on Monday , Bossert wrote that after careful investigation , Washington can say that Pyongyang is `` directly responsible '' for the WannaCry virus . Bossert called the attack Attack.Ransom in which victims received ransom demands Attack.Ransom to unlock their computers `` cowardly , costly and careless . '' `` The consequences and repercussions of WannaCry were beyond economic , '' he wrote . `` The malicious software hit Attack.Ransom computers in the U.K. 's health-care sector particularly hard , compromising systems that perform critical work . These disruptions put lives at risk . '' Bossert is expected to brief reporters on Tuesday about the hacking . NPR 's Elise Hu tells Morning Edition that `` cyberattacks are a way for North Korea to punch above its weight '' and that Pyongyang 's hackers `` have access to global networks and the Internet , and they have some real successes to count . '' Within days of the attack in May , North Korea fell under suspicion . As NPR 's Bill Chappell reported at the time , WannaCry was found to have `` lines of code that are identical to work by hackers known as the Lazarus Group , [ which has ] ... been linked to North Korea , raising suspicions that the nation could be responsible . '' And in October , Britain 's Minister of State for Security Ben Wallace said his government was `` as sure as possible '' that Pyongyang launched the attack . Bossert said in the Journal that President Trump had `` ordered the modernization of government information-technology to enhance the security of the systems we run on behalf of the American people . '' `` We also indicted Russian hackers and a Canadian acting in concert with them . A few weeks ago , we charged three Chinese nationals for hacking Attack.Databreach , theft Attack.Databreach of trade secrets and identity theft . There will almost certainly be more indictments to come , '' he wrote . He said that the administration would continue to use its `` maximum pressure strategy to curb Pyongyang 's ability to mount attacks , cyber or otherwise . ''