Flame: Massive cyber-attack discovered, researchers say

[dipsydoodle]

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

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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]

1. I'm sure this was done anonymously

...or was it ????

[dipsydoodle]

2. As long as whoever did it

fully understands the expression "do unto others......." So when the blowback occurs the reason becomes beyond dispute.

[Eugene]

3. Iran 'finds fix' for sophisticated Flame malware

Source: BBC

29 May 2012 Last updated at 15:25 GMT

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

[dipsydoodle]

4. Good

Hope they work out who sent it too and reciprocate accordingly.

[dipsydoodle]

5. Israel hints it may be behind super-virus targeting Iran

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