WannaCry ransomware attack: Researchers suggest possible Chinese link behind it

According to the researchers, only the Chinese and English versions of the ransom notice were written by humans.

Experts across the globe have been analyzing the WannaCry ransomware attack following the disastrous and the most dangerous cyber attack in the recent times, which paralyzed organizations throughout the world. And now, a new piece of information has surfaced regarding the virus.

Researchers from Flashpoint has looked into the language used in the ransom notice and said that Chinese-speaking criminals might have been behind this deadly attack, reported BBC.

The researchers said that the use of proper grammar and punctuation has only been used in the Chinese versions of the ransom notices, which indicates that the writer was "native or at least fluent" in Chinese.

On the other hand, the notice in other languages appeared to be mostly "machine translated", said the experts.

Although, WannaCry hit more than 200,000 computers in 150 countries and the ransom notice appeared on the computers in 28 different languages, but according to the researchers only the Chinese and English version were written by humans.

However, even the English text also used some unusual phrases such as: "But you have not so enough time", while the Chinese version was perfect in terms of language.

UK's National Crime Agency and Europol are also investigating the source of the cyber crime.

Some earlier reports had suggested that North Korean criminals might have had some connection with the attack.

"It was only really the Chinese and the English versions that appeared to be written by someone that understood the language. The rest appeared to come from Google Translate, even the Korean," said cyber-security expert Prof Alan Woodward from the University of Surrey.

Woodward also noted that the criminals have not attempted to retrieve the money that the victims paid in bitcoins, which indicates that the masterminds behind WannaCry ransomware attack are keeping a low profile.

"Their so-called command and control system, the thing that controls quite a lot of the software, has all been turned off. They know that so many people are watching them now and that following the money could lead to their downfall. I suspect if they've got any sense at all they'll leave it well alone," Woodward told BBC.

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