As analysts started dissecting the ransomware code, they dubbed the attacks WannaCry—not because the word perfectly encapsulated the way so many victims felt—but because of a tiny snippet left in the code: “.wncry.” As they teased the code further still, they discovered why the attacks had spread so quickly. The attackers had used a powerful catalyst, the stolen NSA exploit EternalBlue. It was an inconvenient detail that Trump officials were careful to omit from their talking points over the next several days, as the tally of damages climbed.
