According to a U.K. security expert, it is likely that North Korea will increase its cyber attacks on the country.
The security expert is Robert Hannigan, the former director of GCHQ (Government Communications Headquarters).
Hannigan claims that the Kim Jong-un regime in North Korea is in the process of developing skills for attacking the National Health Service (NHS).
Even earlier this year, Britain Minister of State for Security Ben Wallace had laid the blame on the same regime for WannaCry, the notorious widespread ransomware attack that happened in May.
Wallace stated that it was strongly possible that Pyongyang was responsible for the attack and that North Korea was responsible for the global malware outbreak.
It had resulted in bringing the NHS to a complete halt.
The ransomware hit several hospitals and general practitioners’ offices in England as well as Scotland, with dozens or more such health organizations seriously hit by the cyber attack.
According to Wallace, the attacks could have been carried out as North Korea wanted to gain more foreign funds.
Even Brad Smith, the president and chief legal officer of Microsoft, claimed last month that Kim Jong-un’s hermit state was responsible.
He asked that a new Geneva Convention be created for ending cyber attacks that are sponsored by such states.
Watchdogs had earlier warned Britain that the hackers might be planning to bring the NHS down again and that the country should get their act together.
Advanced Sophistication
According to Robert Hannigan, the U.K. should be prepared for some amount of collateral damage from the cyber attacks by the rogue state of North Korea, as the latter is continuing its attacks on the west.
In a statement at a security summit held in Central London, Hannigan claimed that though WannaCry was a very sophisticated attack, it was not used effectively.
The hackers will probably learn to improve the attack this time, using more sophisticated tools.
The tools used are sure to yield more serious outcomes, but in addition, the number of such attacks is also likely to increase, according to Hannigan.
Increasing Threats
Hannigan also stated that North Korea is not the only state that needs to be feared for its cyber attacks.
There are many groups, such as the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL), who are also vested in making such destructive attacks.
They don’t have many capabilities at the moment, though the intention is present. But it is only a matter of time when their capabilities will also increase to match their intentions.
Challenges Faced
Hannigan asserted that an increased level of preparation should be made by the U.K. government, along with nation-wide federal infrastructure.
They should be well equipped to face cyber attacks when the capabilities and intentions of these dangerous entities start merging.