Global cyberattack source, motives unfold

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The attack broke out in the Ukraine on Tuesday, 27 June 2017 before spreading and affecting businesses worldwide.

According to a report on CNBC, Gavin O'Gorman, an investigator with U.S. antivirus firm Symantec, said in a blog post: "There may be a more nefarious motive behind the attack. Perhaps this attack was never intended to make money (but) rather to simply disrupt a large number of Ukrainian organisations."

A growing consensus among security researchers, armed with technical evidence, suggests the main purpose of the attack was to install new malware on computers at government and commercial organisations in Ukraine, says a report on Reuters. Rather than extortion, the goal may be to plant the seeds of future sabotage, experts said.

Ukrainian politicians were quick to blame Russia for the attack, but a Kremlin spokesman dismissed "unfounded blanket accusations".

New global ransomware attack disrupts thousands of companies

Ilse van den Berg  30 Jun 2017

For more:

• CNBC: Cyberattack may not have been meant to get money
  
• Reuters: Global cyber attack likely cover for malware installation in Ukraine: police official
  
• CNBC: Ukraine points finger at Russian security services in recent cyber attack