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 . ''

LabCorp experienced a breach this past weekend , which it nows says was a ransomware attack Attack.Ransom . The intrusion has also prompted concerns that patient data may have also been stolen Attack.Databreach . One of the biggest clinical lab testing companies in the world , LabCorp , was hit Attack.Ransom with a `` new variant of ransomware '' over the weekend . `` LabCorp promptly took certain systems offline as a part of its comprehensive response to contain and remove the ransomware from its system , '' the company told PCMag in an email . `` We are working to restore additional systems and functions over the next several days . '' LabCorp declined to say what variant of ransomware was used . But according to The Wall Street Journal , the company was hit Attack.Ransom with a strain known as SamSam . In March , the same strain attacked Attack.Ransom the city of Atlanta 's IT network . Like other ransomware variants , SamSam will effectively lock down a computer , encrypting all the files inside , and then demand Attack.Ransom the victim pay up Attack.Ransom to free the system . In the Atlanta attack Attack.Ransom , the anonymous hackers demanded Attack.Ransom $ 51,000 , which the city government reportedly refused to pay Attack.Ransom . How much the hackers are demanding Attack.Ransom from LabCorp is n't clear ; the company declined to answer further questions about the attack Attack.Ransom or if it will pay the ransom Attack.Ransom . The lab testing provider first reported the breach on Monday , initially describing it as `` suspicious activity '' on the company 's IT systems that relate to healthcare diagnostics . This prompted fears that patient data may have been stolen Attack.Databreach . The North Carolina-based company processes more than 2.5 million lab tests per week and has over 1,900 patient centers across the US . `` LabCorp also has connections to most of the hospitals and other clinics in the United States , '' Pravin Kothari , CEO of cybersecurity firm CipherCloud , said in an email . `` All of this presents , at some point , perhaps an increased risk of cyber attacks propagating and moving through this expanded ecosystem . '' On Thursday , LabCorp issued a new statement and said the attack Attack.Ransom was a ransomware strain . At this point , the company has found `` no evidence of theft Attack.Databreach or misuse of data , '' but it 's continuing to investigate . `` As part of our in-depth and ongoing investigation into this incident , LabCorp has engaged outside security experts and is working with authorities , including law enforcement , '' the company added .

At last count , 110 organizations have reported successful Phishing attacks Attack.Phishing targeting W-2 records , placing more than 120,000 taxpayers at risk for identity fraud . Many of those working for the victimized firms have had a stressful time dealing with the fallout . Those who have experienced this unique type of crime say it 's a nightmare . Some of those affected have had fraudulent returns filed under their name , in addition to issues with educational expenses . In one case , the scammers created flexible spending accounts with their stolen identities . The Phishing attacks Attack.Phishing causing so much damage , also known as BEC (Business Email Compromise) attacks Attack.Phishing , are simple and effective . They exploit trust relationships within the office , and in many cases , exploit the routine practice of sharing data via email . According to the IRS , these attacks Attack.Phishing are some of the most dangerous email scams Attack.Phishing the agency has seen in a long time . `` It can result in the large-scale theft Attack.Databreach of sensitive data that criminals can use to commit various crimes , including filing fraudulent tax returns . We need everyone ’ s help to turn the tide against this scheme , '' IRS Commissioner , John Koskinen , remarked in a warning issued last month . In 2016 , Databreaches.net tracked 145 BEC victims . With more than five weeks left in the current tax season , the count sits at 110 ( as of 03-13-17 ) and shows no signs of slowing . As mentioned , those impacted by the BEC attacks Attack.Phishing have described the aftermath as a frustrating nightmare , one that drains them of time and in some cases money when their returns are delayed .

State officials are investigating the theft Attack.Databreach last week of equipment from a Cobb County precinct manager ’ s car that could make every Georgia voters ’ personal information vulnerable to theft Attack.Databreach . The equipment , used to check-in voters at the polls , was stolen Attack.Databreach Saturday evening , Secretary of State Brian Kemp said Monday . Cobb County elections director Janine Eveler said the stolen machine , known as an ExpressPoll unit , can not be used to fraudulently vote in Tuesday ’ s election but that it does contain a copy of Georgia ’ s statewide voter file . “ We have managed that so that what ’ s stolen could not impact the election , ” Eveler said . While the file includes drivers ’ license numbers , addresses and other data , it does not include Social Security numbers , Eveler said . But , she said , “ the poll book that was stolen Attack.Databreach did have a flash card with a voter list on it . But , it does require some knowledge or expertise to use machine to retrieve the information. ” Cobb County Police and the State Election Board are investigating . Kemp said it was “ unacceptable ” that Cobb officials waited two days to notify him of the theft Attack.Databreach . “ We have opened an investigation , and we are taking steps to ensure that it has no effect on the election tomorrow , ” Kemp said in a statement . “ I am confident that the results will not be compromised. ” Nearly 55,000 votes were cast in early voting ahead of Tuesday ’ s election , the culmination of a campaign that brought national attention to the state .