Hackers mine 'currency' with technique embedded in WannaCry virus

San Francisco

A COMPUTER virus that exploits the same vulnerability as the global "ransomware" attack has latched on to more than 200,000 computers and begun manufacturing digital currency, experts said on Tuesday.

The development adds to the dangers exposed by the WannaCry ransomware and provides another piece of evidence that a North Korea-linked hacking group may be behind the attacks. WannaCry, developed in part with hacking techniques that were either stolen or leaked from the US National Security Agency, has infected more than 300,000 computers since Friday, locking up their data and demanding a ransom payment for the information to be released.