Flame: Massive cyber-attack discovered, researchers say
Last edited Mon May 28, 2012, 03:21 PM - Edit history (1)
Source: BBC News
A complex targeted cyber-attack that collected private data from countries such as Israel and Iran has been uncovered, researchers have said.
Russian security firm Kaspersky Labs told the BBC they believed the malware, known as Flame, had been operating since August 2010.
The company said it believed the attack was state-sponsored, but could not be sure of its exact origins.
They described Flame as "one of the most complex threats ever discovered".
Read more: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-18238326
Computer worm that hit Iran oil terminals 'is most complex yet'
A cyber-attack that targeted Iran's oil ministry and main export terminal was caused by the most sophisticated computer worm yet developed, experts have warned.
The virus appears to have been directed primarily at a small number of organisations and individuals in Iran, the West Bank, Lebanon and the United Arab Emirates. This will inevitably raise suspicions that Israel or the US were involved in some way.
Analysts who have been decoding the computer worm, which is called W32.Flamer, have been unable to identify the source. But they say only a professional team working for several months could have been behind it.
The CrySys Laboratory, in Hungary, said: "The results of our technical analysis supports the hypothesis that [the worm] was developed by a government agency of a nation state with significant budget and effort, and it may be related to cyberwarfare activities."It is certainly the most sophisticated malware we [have] encountered. Arguably, it is the most complex malware ever found."
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2012/may/28/computer-worm-iran-oil-w32flamer
may3rd
(593 posts)...or was it ????
dipsydoodle
(42,239 posts)fully understands the expression "do unto others......." So when the blowback occurs the reason becomes beyond dispute.
Eugene
(61,974 posts)Source: BBC
Iran 'finds fix' for sophisticated Flame malware
Iran says it has developed tools that can defend against the sophisticated cyber attack tool known as Flame.
The country is believed to have been hit hard by the malicious programme which infiltrates networks in order to steal sensitive data.
Security companies said Flame, named after one of its attack modules, is one of the most complex threats ever seen.
Iran says its home-grown defence could both spot when Flame is present and clean up infected PCs.
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Read more: http://www.bbc.com/news/technology-18253331
Hope they work out who sent it too and reciprocate accordingly.
dipsydoodle
(42,239 posts)A top Israeli minister yesterday fed speculation that the Jewish state could be responsible for a powerful new virus said to have been used in a fresh attack on computers in Iran and elsewhere in the Middle East.
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Moshe Yaalon, Israel's Vice Prime Minister and Strategic Affairs Minister, told the country's Army Radio: "Anyone who sees the Iranian threat as a significant threat it's reasonable [to assume] that he will take various steps, including these, to harm it."
Mr Yaalon, a former military Chief of Staff, added: "Israel was blessed as being a country rich with high-tech. These tools that we take pride in open up all kinds of opportunities for us."
He stopped short of directly claiming responsibility, but Israel has long been in the forefront of opposition to Iran's nuclear programme, currently the subject of difficult negotiations between Tehran and six world powers.
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/middle-east/israel-hints-it-may-be-behind-supervirus-targeting-iran-7800935.html