Over the past few years, the NSA got a ton of intelligence by using a hacking tool called EternalBlue. While it was valuable to them, it could of course be dangerous if it ever got into the wrong hands. So this was the deal. The NSA either had to get rid of the powerful code, or make absolutely sure it never got out into the wild. “But for more than five years, the NSA kept using it — through a time period that has seen several serious security breaches — and now the officials’ worst fears have been realized.” From WaPo: NSA officials worried about the day its potent hacking tool would get loose. Then it did.