WASHINGTON (Sputnik) — Bossert suggested that governments' collective action — both abroad and within the United States — is required to address the attack. He noted the source of the attack has so far been unidentified, but added that a nation state has not been ruled out.
"This is an attack that represents extremely serious threat," Bossert told ABC News. "This is an urgent call for collective action. We need people on every level to engage in their network hygiene."
Last Friday, the Kaspersky Lab IT company registered about 45,000 ransomware attacks in 74 countries worldwide, with the largest number of targets in Russia. The company reported that the attack was carried out with the use of ransomware dubbed WannaCry. The malicious software has reportedly infected computers in up to a hundred countries and tried to extort users' money.
On Sunday, Europol Executive Director Rob Wainwright said that the global cyberattack may continue on Monday. According to Wainwright, the attack affected 200,000 users in 150 countries, including businesses and large corporations.