North Korea Responsible For NHS Cyber Attack, Says US

North Korea has said a US accusation that it was behind a major ransomware attack was a "grave political provocation" and vowed to retaliate.

In remarks carried by state media, the North's Foreign Ministry repeated it had nothing to do with the attack.

It said it will never tolerate such "reckless" US claims but did not say how it would respond.

A ministry spokesperson said: 

"The Trump administration is inciting an extremely confrontational atmosphere by even concocting a plot against us at this delicate moment when the situation on the Korean peninsula is at the crossroads of nuclear war or peace." 

The United States had publicly blamed North Korea for the cyber attack which hit the NHS and networks around the world.

President Donald Trump's homeland security adviser, Tom Bossert, said the country was "directly responsible" for the ransomware attack that was "widespread and cost billions".

It came as Mr Trump unveiled a new US national security strategy which includes strengthening the country's cyber defence capabilities.

Mr Bossart wrote in the Wall Street Journal:

"After careful investigation, the US today publicly attributes the massive WannaCry cyber attack to North Korea."

"The attack spread indiscriminately across the world in May. It encrypted and rendered useless hundreds of thousands of computers in hospitals, schools, businesses and homes.

"While victims received ransom demands, paying did not unlock their computers. It was cowardly, costly and careless.

“The attack was widespread and cost billions, and North Korea is directly responsible."

In October, Home Office minister Ben Wallace said the UK Government believed "quite strongly" that a foreign state was behind the cyber attack and named North Korea.

Pyongyang had been widely blamed for the cyber attack in security circles, and Microsoft's president, Brad Smith, also pointed the finger at Kim Jong Un's secretive state.

The attack that began on May 12 is believed to have infected machines at 81 health trusts across England - a third of the 236 total.

It also affected computers at almost 600 GP surgeries, according to a National Audit Office (NAO) report released in October.

The probe found that almost 19,500 medical appointments, including 139 potential cancer referrals, were estimated to have been cancelled, with five hospitals having to divert ambulances away after being locked out of computers.

However, the report found the attack could have been prevented if "basic IT security" measures had been taken.

All infected machines were running computer systems that had not been updated to secure them against such attacks.

Mr Wallace suggested the attack could have been motivated by an attempt by the economically isolated North Korean state to access foreign funds.