Article

2012-05-29 Science & Technology

'Most sophisticated cyber virus ever' hits West Bank computers

Archived material is restricted to Rantburg regulars and members. If you need access email fred.pruitt=at=gmail.com with your nick to be added to the members list. There is no charge to join Rantburg as a member.

Posted by Steve White 2012-05-29 00:00|| || Front Page|| [11132 views ] Top

#1 They should have known better than to surf the pr0n sites from their work computers...

Posted by Glenmore 2012-05-29 08:30|| 2012-05-29 08:30|| Front Page Top

#2 from Fox: Vitaly Kamluk, chief malware expert for Kaspersky Labs, said there were many pointers to it being a weapon, not the least of which was how highly-targeted it was. According to their investigations, only 382 infections have been reported, 189 of which were in Iran, and the malware targeted individuals rather than organizations.

Kamluk said the malware was most likely introduced by a USB stick or other removable drive. Once injected, the malware would contact one of the many command and control servers around the world and download additional modules as needed."Unlike Stuxnet," said Kamluk, "[Flame] was much more sophisticated and not simply trying to infect every machine." He said the malware was also able to find out information about other devices around it.

Sure hope it was us...

Posted by Omoluque Hapsburg8162 2012-05-29 12:00|| 2012-05-29 12:00|| Front Page Top

#3 By targeting limited individuals, it also seems to link those in Iran to Syria and the West Bank. It even turns on the microphone remotely to listen in--GOTCHA!!!! :D

Posted by Omoluque Hapsburg8162 2012-05-29 12:09|| 2012-05-29 12:09|| Front Page Top

#4 The Debka people claim the Flame virus has also hit Israeli computers...

Cyber experts rate Flame, which has been around for five years, as one of the common or garden viruses affecting computers in many places, Israel and Iran included. It is not in the same class as Stuxnet, the only malworm that seriously disrupted Irans nuclear facilities in 2009 until it too was overcome. DEBKAfile: Since then, cyber warfare has moved onto a higher plane as was discovered when Chinese experts downed the US RQ-170 spy drone over Iran in December 2011.

An interesting statement, it seems to me in my ignorance.

Posted by trailing wife 2012-05-29 12:39|| 2012-05-29 12:39|| Front Page Top

#5 Using pirated software to run computers usually means the company with the copyright and patents probably won't be answering your service calls when your computer hiccups.

Posted by Procopius2k 2012-05-29 13:51|| 2012-05-29 13:51|| Front Page Top

#6 Too bad we can't use this thing on the NYT to find out who their sources are inside the CIA. I'd love to string a bunch of them up by their thumbs on the Capitol Mall.

Posted by Bill Clinton 2012-05-29 17:58|| 2012-05-29 17:58|| Front Page Top

23:49 past master of the obvious
23:45 rjschwarz
23:25 trailing wife
22:50 vendaval
22:30 Fat Bob Unotch3711
22:03 SteveS
22:02 swksvolFF
22:00 Frank G
21:57 SteveS
21:56 Fat Bob Unotch3711
21:54 swksvolFF
21:52 Fat Bob Unotch3711
21:50 SteveS
21:35 Rob Crawford
21:26 Recneck Jim
21:15 Anguper Hupomosing9418
21:14 canalzone
21:11 trailing wife
20:48 rjschwarz
20:42 rjschwarz
20:37 Eric Jablow
20:04 Barbara
19:58 JosephMendiola
19:18 Ebbang Uluque6305