Flame virus links to Stuxnet

[niggles]

Security experts have discovered a highly sophisticated computer virus in Iran and the Middle East that they believe was deployed at least five years ago to engage in state-sponsored cyber espionage.

Responsibility for discovering the virus, which has been dubbed 'Flame', was claimed by Russian cyber security software-maker Kaspersky Lab.

Kapersky said evidence suggested that it may have been built on behalf of the same nation, or nations, that commissioned the Stuxnet worm that attacked Iran's nuclear program in 2010.

Kaspersky researchers say they have yet to determine whether Flame had a specific mission like Stuxnet, and declined to say who they think built it.

Iran has accused the United States and Israel of deploying Stuxnet.

Key facts about Flame

 

• One of the most sophisticated pieces of malicious software ever discovered, with about 20 times as much code as Stuxnet.

   

• Built with some 20 modules, researchers still do not understand the full purpose of most of them.

   

• Can record sounds, access Bluetooth communications, capture screenshots and log internet messaging conversations.

   

• Creators of the virus used a network of some 80 servers across Asia, Europe and North America to remotely access infected machines.

   

• It is the largest such Command and Control network identified to date.

   

• An estimated 1,000 to 5,000 machines were infected worldwide.

   

 

 

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2012-05-29/flame-cyber-weapon-found-in-iran/4038588

[niggles]

bbc link is more interesting.

http://www.bbc.com/news/technology-18238326

[niggles]

I dont know if this is connected or not, but..

http://www.bbc.com/news/technology-17811565

Iran has been forced to disconnect key oil facilities after suffering a malware attack on Sunday, say reports.

The computer virus is believed to have hit the internal computer systems at Iran's oil ministry and its national oil company.

Equipment on the Kharg island and at other Iranian oil plants has been disconnected from the net as a precaution.

Oil production had not been affected by the attack, said the Mehr news agency.

However, the attack is believed to have been responsible for knocking offline the websites of the Iranian oil ministry and national oil company.

The Ministry website was back in action on Monday but the oil company site has remained unreachable.

An Iranian oil ministry spokesperson was quoted as saying that data about users of the sites had been stolen as a result of the attack. Core data about Iran's oil industry remained safe because it was on computer systems that remain separate from the net, they added.

The terminal on Kharg Island handles about 90% of Iran's oil exports.

Iran is reported to have mobilised a "cyber crisis committee" to handle the aftermath of the attack and bolster defences.

This committee was set up following attacks in 2010 by a virus known as Stuxnet that was aimed at the nation's nuclear programme.