'We compared the code samples between WannaCry and previous activity, but the only similarities are public libraries,' Burbage says. Malware researcher Paul Burbage of Flashpoint, a business risk intelligence company, tells NPR's Martin Kaste that so far, he hasn't seen a solid connection between the ransomware and North Korea. The company adds that the shared code is based on 'a specific sequence of 75 ciphers, which to date have only been seen across Lazarus tools.' Security firm Symantec says it has 'identified the presence of tools exclusively used by Lazarus on machines also infected with earlier versions of WannaCry,' which could have been used to help spread the worm to vulnerable computers. But South Korea doesn't appear to be hurt any more than other countries.' 'It has disrupted ads for a local theater chain, and bus schedules in a small city south of the capital Seoul. 'At least 12 South Korean companies have been hit by the WannaCry computer virus,' NPR's Lauren Frayer reports from Seoul.
