Flame: world's most complex computer virus exposed

[Complicated]

The world's most complex computer virus, possessing a range of complex espionage capabilities, including the ability to secretly record conversations, has been exposed.

 

Middle Eastern states were targeted and Iran ordered an emergency review of official computer installations after the discovery of a new virus, known as Flame.

 

Experts said the massive malicious software was 20 times more powerful than other known cyber warfare programmes including the Stuxnet virus and could only have been created by a state.

 

It is the third cyber attack weapon targeting systems in the Middle East to be exposed in recent years.

Iran has alleged that the West and Israel are orchestrating a secret war of sabotage using yber warfare and targeted assassinations of its scientists as part of the dispute over its nuclear programme.

 

Stuxnet attacked Iran's nuclear programme in 2010, while a related programme, Duqu, named after the Star Wars villain, stole data.

 

Flame can gather data files, remotely change settings on computers, turn on computer microphones to record conversations, take screen shots and copy instant messaging chats.

 

The virus was discovered by a Russian security firm that specialises in targeting malicious computer code.

 

It made the 20 megabyte virus available to other researchers yesterday claiming it did not fully understand its scope and said its code was 100 times the size of the most malicious software.

 

Kaspersky Labs said the programme appeared to have been released five years ago and had infected machines in Iran, Israel, Sudan, Syria, Lebanon, Saudi Arabia and Egypt.

 

"If Flame went on undiscovered for five years, the only logical conclusion is that there are other operations ongoing that we don't know about," Roel Schouwenberg, a Kaspersky security senior researcher, said.

 

Professor Alan Woodward from the department of computing at the University of Surrey said the virus was extremely invasive. It could "vacuum up" information by copying keyboard strokes and the voices of people nearby.

 

"This wasn't written by some spotty teenager in his/her bedroom. It is large, complicated and dedicated to stealing data whilst remaining hidden for a long time," he said.

 

The virus contains about 20 times as much code as Stuxnet, which attacked an Iranian uranium enrichment facility, causing centrifuges to fail. Iran's output of uranium was suffered a severe blow as a result of the Stuxnet activities.

Mr Schouwenberg said there was evidence to suggest the code was commissioned by the same nation or nations that were behind Stuxnet and Duqu.

 

Iran's Computer Emergency Response Team said it was "a close relation" of Stuxnet, which has itself been linked to Duqu, another complicated information-stealing virus is believed to be the work of state intelligence.

 

It said organisations had been given software to detect and remove the newly-discovered virus at the beginning of May.

Crysys Lab, which analyses computer viruses at Budapest University. said the technical evidence for a link between Flame and Stuxnet or Duqu was inconclusive.

 

The newly-discovered virus does not spread itself automatically but only when hidden controllers allow it.

 

Unprecedented layers of software allow Flame to penetrate remote computer networks undetected.

 

The file, which infects Microsoft Windows computers, has five encryption algorithms, exotic data storage formats and the ability to steal documents, spy on computer users and more.

 

Components enable those behind it, who use a network of rapidly-shifting "command and control" servers to direct the virus, to turn microphone into listening devices, siphon off documents and log keystrokes.

 

Eugene Kaspersky, the founder of Kaspersky Lab, noted that "it took us 6 months to analyse Stuxnet. [This] is 20 times more complicated".

 

Once a machine is infected additional modules can be added to the system allowing the machine to undertake specific tracking projects.

[Complicated]

Flame, a newly-discovered computer virus built for espionage has been named as the most complicated piece of malicious software ever created, and speculation as to who is behind it is sweeping the web.

 

 

Eugene Kaspersky, the founder of Kaspersky Lab, one of the security organisations that have investigated Flame since its discover earlier this month, is sure of at least one thing.

 

Other experts already agree that the complexity of the software and its espionage-specific capabilities strongly suggest a state intelligence agency is responsible.

Reuters journalist Jim Finkle notes that Kaspersky Lab has suggested the team that created the Stuxnet virus, which was designed to cause phiysical damage to the Iranian nuclear programme, may be behind Flame.

 

Given the pattern of the Flame infection known so far - Iran, the West Bank, Syria, Egypt - and its technological prowess, Israel has quickly emerged as many commentators' prime suspect. Richard Silverstein, a US-based commentator and critic of the Israeli government, has made widely-shared claims "my senior Israeli source confirms that it is a product of Israeli cyberwarfare experts". The Jerusalem Post thinks Vice President Ya'alon may even have already hinted Israel is behind Flame.

 

As ever with cyber espionage some are also casting suspicious glances towards Beijing and Washington.

 

But its worth remembering that two years after it was discovered, nobody knows for sure who was behind Stuxnet, and as Eugene Kaspersky notes, Flame is a much more complicated problem.

[Somalia]

I would definitely say it is ... Complicated.

 

[Mario B]

^ Lol

[Macallinka]

Woow the cyber war is real ! I have seen how stuxnet work and I was amazed to see a virus that is cabable to enginite a nuclear war !

[OdaySomali]

I was reading about this today and its some very interesting stuff. I won't be surprised if the Iranians learn from this very quickly.

[Bluelicious]

Lool @ Somalia.

 

If this flame gets used; houston we got a problem.

[burahadeer]

not the only one,you could be watched taking shower.There is this thing that go thru walls & records every move you make inside your house,voice & video..

scary world; back to jungle.

[rudy-Diiriye]

This a gamer created virus: check below. Kids can always out smart adults.

http://redtape.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2012/05/30/11962850-was-flame-virus-written-by-cyberwarriors-or-gamers?lite

 

If u dont wanna get viruses avoid following habits.

-when downloading stuff pay attention and uncheck to never download all the add-ons they hide on the d/l link, i.e, tool bar craps n stuff.

-never open an attachment u dont know who is it from.

-never use symantec av stuff. Its wpos.

-go to cnet.com/downloads and download avg anti-virus. It gives u a free one yr version for the the basic version

-close your browser when not browsing the internet.

-close your system when done with it or set it up to go into hibernation.

My speciality is data recovery and system protection...so really, deal with this everyday.