Posted on 05/28/2012 11:04:10 PM PDT by Pride_of_the_Bluegrass
The complexity of the latest 'Flame' virus bears the hallmarks of a program engineered by a state, a number of Israeli computer experts believe.
As details of Flame - the third major virus discovered to have an affinity to Iranian computer systems in recent years - filtered through the media, network security experts in Israel, requesting anonymity, studied the initial reports, and indicated that they believed small groups of hackers could not be behind the virus.
(Excerpt) Read more at jpost.com ...
The problem with these computer viruses, is that they go in all directions, and cannot be contained.
Looks like it’s working correctly.
Sort of like Islam.
It’s going to be only a matter of time before one of these Islamoterrorist state sponsored hacking houses is infiltrated and busted.
Errrr.......Uhhhhhhhhhhhhhh.........
Nevermind............
What’s so special about Jordan and Iraq on that map? Maybe Turkey too, but those too look kind of weird all surrounded like that
Bookmark
Actually, it's not hard for the writers to contain viruses like this in the targeted area. Think about it.
So you’re saying that a virus designed to target specific systems cannot be contained outside of those systems?
How widely are computers used in any of these countries?
If this is like the STUX NET virus the theory is that the virus was (initially) spread by a Siemens Technician servicing Programmable Logic Controllers with the virus loaded on a thumb drive.
This would isolate the virus to one or a few techs who service computers in that part of the world until the virus breaks out of these (generally) stand alone computers.
The other thing to note is that these viruses are written to attack industrial control systems of a particular type (Siemens) so the damage they will do is limited by their design.
The Stux Net virus was specifically written to cause the Uranium Enrichment centrifuges to over speed and destroy themselves.
In the old days we’d have a problem with a Moscow-based Lab having control of this kind of stuff. If Kaspersky wasn’t totally ethical they could take this virus - change a few lines of code (or more) - and switch targets... Not that they would do that...
How hard would it be to tweek that virus so it would go after American Uranium Enrichment centrifuges? The tough part of the code has already written...
Yaalon Hints Israel behind Flame Malware
http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/156294#.T8TfxFE69v0
It is time that those writing and maintaining major operating system should have a security clearance. If the big companies are unwilling to secure their code, then we should be unwilling to buy it.
This has worried me for a long time.
As I understand the StuxNet Virus with detailed and specific information on the programming of the Iranian enrichment plant down to specific Input/Output addresses of sensors and motor controllers.
If those addresses were used at an American Plant to control critical functions with similar parameters it could cause problems. But it would have to be a Siemens PLC which dominates Europe and the Middle East. Foxborrow and others are dominate in the US.
Considering the number of mathematicians, electrical engineers, and computer programmers that live in Israel and who immigrated to Israel from easter Europe and Russia I would think that they are quite capable of performing something this complex. The time line is interesting for how long the code has been setting there just waiting to be activated.
Just a shame how Iran seems to be hit by so many computer malfunctions/viruses.
Just a shame.
Maybe time to upgrade from DOS up to Windows?
>> “Maybe time to upgrade from DOS up to Windows?” <<
.
Most viruses are Windows viruses.
There hasn’t been a new DOS virus for 14 years.
I forget where it was that I had read it, but after stuxnet had taken it’s toll last year they had found that a large number of the Iranian systems were operating on pirated software that was susceptible to attack. Apparently as a cost cutting strategy they had decided to use pirated software in most of their military and government systems. Probably not the best security plan.
“Most viruses are Windows viruses.”
No way. Windows machines never get viruses.
http://forum.internet-haganah.com/showthread.php?831-Giving-new-meaning-to-Flame-War
“Giving new meaning to ‘Flame War’”
(May 29, 2012)
I was trying to go back to find the stuxnet thread I posted last year where someone posted forum traffic from the virus monitoring network. That was a great source for updates on the track of the virus. Will post when I find it again SunkenCiv.
According to the Iranian CERT team none of their 43 detection tools could find it originally
http://www.certcc.ir/index.php?name=news&file=article&sid=1894
No, they get AIDS.
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