The Daily How a Secret U.S. Cyberweapon Backfired
Jun 4, 2019
Scott Shane, a national security reporter for The New York Times, dives into the chaos unleashed on Baltimore by a criminal cyberattack, revealing a dark twist: the malware originated from a U.S. intelligence agency's tool, EternalBlue. He discusses the ethical dilemmas faced by the NSA and how their operations can inadvertently endanger public security. Shane also highlights the critical role of journalism in uncovering these stories and the profound impact such attacks have on vulnerable communities across the nation.
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Baltimore Ransomware Attack
- The city of Baltimore's computer systems were held hostage by online criminals for nearly a month, paralyzing basic government functions.
- The software used in the attack was developed by a government agency near Baltimore.
EternalBlue
- The NSA developed a hacking tool called EternalBlue to exploit a vulnerability in Windows systems.
- They kept it secret to use for intelligence gathering, but it was later leaked by the Shadow Brokers.
Shadow Brokers Leak
- The Shadow Brokers stole and attempted to auction off NSA hacking tools, including EternalBlue.
- When the auction failed, they dumped the tools online.