Hackers use stolen NSA hacking tools to attack US government networks

Baltimore, Maryland, suffered a serious malware attack. The attack lasted for nearly three weeks, resulting in the inability to use government computers and e-mails, and disrupted services such as real estate sales and water bills.

Hackers have used NSA’s hacking tools to perform some devastating attacks, such as WannaCry and NotPetya. The Eternal Blue has penetrated millions of systems around the world, and now it appears in the city of Baltimore, where the NSA headquarters is located. The tool leverages an unpatched system that allows an attacker to gain system access and use malware to take over other systems on the network. Cybercriminals attacked Baltimore on May 7, shut down local government network computers, and demanded that the government pay $100,000 worth of bitcoin.

The hacker also said: “We’ve watching you for days. We won’t talk more, all we know is MONEY! Hurry up!” The hackers not only attacked Baltimore but also attacked the cities and towns of Pennsylvania and Texas, causing the government’s losses to increase.  According to the New York Times analysis, hackers can successfully attack these cities because the networks in these places are intricate and use outdated software.