North Korea hackers' link to WannaCry ransomware attack 'highly likely'

Cyber security company Symantec have said that it was "highly likely" that the recent global ransomware attack on banks, hospitals and businesses was caused by a group linked with North Korea.

The WannaCry attack affected organisations from a wide variety of countries and spectrums, including IT systems belonging to the National Health Service.

Now researchers at US security firm Symantec have said there is evidence of a connection between this particular attack and previous hacks carried out by the "Lazarus Group" - a cyber criminal group with links to Kim Jong-un's regime.

The WannaCry attack affected organisations from a wide variety of countries and spectrums

Lazarus has also been linked to attacks on banks using their SWIFT messaging network. With the hacking group also blamed for theft from the Bangladeshi central bank last year.

In a blog post published by Symantec on Monday, the company’s experts pointed out “strong links” to the Lazarus group.

"Analysis of these early WannaCry attacks by Symantec's Security Response Team revealed substantial commonalities in the tools, techniques, and infrastructure used by the attackers and those seen in previous Lazarus attacks, making it highly likely that Lazarus was behind the spread of WannaCry," the post said.

Last week, a senior Microsoft executive said the massive cyber attack should serve as a wake-up call for governments and organisations in the new age of cyber security.