Analysts Name NSA's Hacking Tool Reportedly Used in Global Cyber Strike

Cybersecurity analysts has unveiled what NSA's tool could be used in a global hacking attack on Friday, that resulted in thousands of computers in 74 countries disabled.

MOSCOW (Sputnik) — A hacking tool stolen from the US National Security Agency (NSA) was used in a major cyberattack against organizations across the globe, media reported Friday.

According to the Financial Times, citing cybersecurity analysts, the hackers used a tool known as Eternal Blue developed by NSA, as well as ransomware known as WannaCry.

The Eternal Blue tool allows the malware, which encrypts data on computers and demands a fee to unlock them, to spread through file-sharing protocols set up across organizations, according to the news outlet.

Media reported earlier in the day, that the attack affected organizations in dozens of countries including at least 16 UK National Health Service (NHS) institutions, Spain’s main telecommunication services provider Telefonica and China's newspaper The People’s Daily.

According to SonicWall Annual Threat Report, in 2016 the number of ransomware attacks increased by over 100 times.