Two 20-something cyber experts helped bring down the widespread ransomware attack that infiltrated networks at hospitals, banks, and government agencies in multiple countries.
A 22-year-old British researcher unintentionally found the so-called “kill switch” that authors of the malicious software left in the code. Later, he teamed up with a 28-year-old engineer in western Michigan to ultimately halt the infections, the Associated Press reported.
SEE ALSO: NSA tools at center of ransomware attacks hitting UK hospitals
The unprecedented outbreak, which began last Friday, locked up computers and extorted users for large Bitcoin payments in nations as diverse as the U.S., Russia, Ukraine, Brazil, Spain, and India. It also hit the U.K.’s National Health Service, affecting computers in hospitals and doctors’ offices. Read more…
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