The good news is that the “WannaCry” ransomware isn’t spreading as quickly as it was just a few days ago, in large part thanks to an enterprising security researcher who accidentally discovered a kill-switch for the malware. The bad news is that the hacking collecting responsible for releasing the exploit upon which the WannaCry ransomware is based on is planning to release more Windows exploits and hacking tools to anyone willing to pay.
As a quick refresher, a hacking group known as the Shadow Brokers released a treasure trove of NSA exploits and hacking tools just a few weeks ago. Now comes word via PC World that the Shadow Brokers may just be getting started.
“On Tuesday, following the WannaCry attacks, the Shadow Brokers posted a new message online in which they claim to have many more Equation exploits that haven’t been leaked yet, the report notes. “The group wants to make them available as part of a new subscription-based service that it plans to launch in June.”
According to a statement posted on Steemit, the Shadow Brokers are putting together a service it likens to a wine of the month club, wherein every month members will receive a new batch of exploits. As is to be expected, the group notes that what members do with the exploits is completely up to them. Regarding the type of exploits the Shadow Brokers is promising to deliver, the group says it will deliver exploits for web browsers, routers, handsets and more. The group even says it may dole out “compromised network data from Russian, Chinese, Iranian, or North Korean nukes and missile programs.”
While some of the exploits in the possession of the Shadow Brokers have already been patched, the rapid spread of WannaCry underscores how many individuals and institutions are still running laughably outdated software.
Interestingly enough, the NSA exploits the Shadow Brokers have may have come from a former NSA contractor who is said to have absconded with 50 terabytes of classified data and upwards of 75% of the hacking tools used and developed by the NSA’s Tailored Access Operations unit.
