Microsofts president blames NSA for WannaCry attack

A top Microsoft executive partly blamed the US government for the WannaCry ransomware attack, saying hackers found a crucial Windows vulnerability in data that had been stockpiled by the NSA.

First noticed on Friday, the WannaCry attack has affected at least 200,000 computers in more than 150 countries, with attackers locking people out of their computers while demanding a Bitcoin ransom.

This attack provides yet another example of why the stockpiling of vulnerabilities by governments is such a problem, Microsoft President Brad Smith wrote in a Sunday blog post.

At the same time, Smith tried to deflect criticism of Microsoft in the disaster, noting that the software giant issued a patch for the vulnerability earlier this year that many organizations ignored.

Smith said the crisis is a wake-up call, and that Microsoft has been working around the clock to assist affected customers, including those on older versions of Windows that are no longer supported.

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, Smith griped.

Some security experts expect a fresh wave of attacks will begin Monday, as employees arrive at work and turn on affected computers. The WannaCry attack is particularly powerful because it doesnt necessarily require users to click a link or download software to spread.

Governments worldwide need to take a different approach and adhere in cyberspace to the same rules applied to weapons in the physical world, Smith said. We need governments to consider the damage to civilians that comes from hoarding these vulnerabilities and the use of these exploits.

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Microsofts president blames NSA for WannaCry attack