Over the weekend a massive ransomware cyber attack WannaCry hit over 150 countries affecting healthcare, public transport, law enforcement, businesses, and individuals globally. Microsoft’s President and Chief Legal Officer, Brad Smith has slammed governments for not disclosing more software vulnerabilities.
Smith criticized the government on the WannaCry ransomware attack which affected more than 200,000 computers, as it is seemingly based on leaked NSA hacking tools. The NSA is widely believed to have developed the hacking tool that was leaked online in April and used as a catalyst for the ransomware attack.
Microsoft’s Brad Smith wrote in a blog post,
The governments of the world should treat this attack as a wake-up. We need governments to consider the damage to civilians that comes from hoarding these vulnerabilities and the use of these exploits. We have seen vulnerabilities stored by the CIA show up on WikiLeaks, and now this vulnerability stolen from the NSA has affected customers around the world. Repeatedly, exploits in the hands of governments have leaked into the public domain and caused widespread damage.
Smith also said it has more than 3,500 security engineers at the company, are working comprehensively to address cybersecurity threats. The company is assessing this attack by working through Microsoft Threat Intelligence Center (MSTIC) and Digital Crimes Unit.