Hackers Use NSA's Hacking Tool To Threaten US Cities

Ravi Adwani - Jun 03, 2019

The EternalBlue hacking exploit, which appeared in the WannaCry and NotPetya attacks, has appeared in NSA's backyard in Baltimore, says The New York Times.

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According to a report from the New York Times, U.S towns and cities are being shut down by a hacking tool established by the NSA (National Security Agency)

The logo of the National Security Agency in its headquarters in Fort Meade, Maryland, Baltimore.

The "EternalBlue"

EternalBlue was the name to watch out for. The tool includes malicious software, revealed by the Shadow Brokers back in 2017. In fact, it was also in 2017 when the hackers took advantage of the tool in WannaCry attacks, which disabled computers from countless banks, phone companies, and hospitals. Additionally, NotPetya used the tool in their Ukraine assault, which was among the most damaging cyber attacks in history.

Wannacry — EternalBlue appeared in the WannaCry cyberattack back in 2017.

Up until recently, EternalBlue has apparently shown up near the headquarters of NSA in Baltimore. On May 7^th, the city suffered from an attack that ensnared local government's computers and disrupted many city services. The city’s IT department is slowly working to get the system back on track again.

Cyber-attacks are victimizing U.S. cities and towns

However, according to a report from the Times, it’s not just affecting Baltimore. Security experts believed that many other cities and towns, from Texas to Pennsylvania are vulnerable to similar ransomware attacks. Cybercriminals are threatening many territories across the U.S., endangering local governments and inflating costs.

Maxresdefault 17 — Cyber-attacks did threaten national security, as NotPetya remains one of the most destructive cyber-attacks ever.

For years, it has been a topic of argument between intelligence agencies and law enforcement to include backdoors into encryption systems, allowing agencies to inspect suspicious computers. For NSA, they always come up with a unique tool to gather data from machines. Nonetheless, critics showed their concern on hackers, who would eventually discover the backdoors and cause serious damage.

Regarding EternalBlue, an official presented the demand for more accountability from the NSA. Moreover, agency advocates also pointed out the major role of such tools to fight terrorism and crime. For them, those tools are indispensable for national security and cyber-warfare.

In the meantime, the NSA refused to comment anything about this.