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Powerful 'Flame' cyber weapon found in Iran

Mya

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May 29, 2012

Key facts about Flame:

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

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

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



Powerful 'Flame' cyber weapon found in Iran - ABC News (Australian Broadcasting Corporation)
 
^^^

Thanks Mya

I found this to be a fascinating espionage tool which deletes itself so the target would never know they were infected. This is more powerful than any conventional warfare, in a prophylactic fashion, as it goes behind the scene of the target and conveys the level or sophistication and armament the target has in addition to other valuable information.

"[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. By using Bluetooth it could scan for other devices, such as mobile phones or laptops.

While the finger of suspicion for Stuxnet was pointed at a number of suspects, including both U.S. and Israeli intelligence agencies, Mr. Kamluk said there was no evidence to suggest who might be responsible for Flame, and it was pure speculation to attribute blame. "A lot of the text strings we have been able to extract are written in very good English," he said. "But that does not tell us very much."
Super Malware Targets Middle East Computers - WSJ.com
 
I hope we do have cyber weapons like flame...they maybe the most necessary for the USAs defense one day, if not now.
 
Its power is totally unprecedented and Flame malware may have been "lurking inside thousands of computers across the Middle East for between five and eight years".

Also - "One of the most alarming facts is that the Flame cyber-attack campaign is currently in its active phase, and its operator is consistently surveilling infected systems, collecting information and targeting new systems to accomplish its unknown goals."

Wow!:yes:
 
I would argue that it is 'now'. As the world integrates and everything is digitized and then networked, this is warfare of the future. It doesn't matter if the enemy has an excellent IAD's network if you can broadcast a signal that causes every piece of hardware to fry itself.
 
I would argue that it is 'now'. As the world integrates and everything is digitized and then networked, this is warfare of the future. It doesn't matter if the enemy has an excellent IAD's network if you can broadcast a signal that causes every piece of hardware to fry itself.

I believe your right...they had better be on it right now today...
 
......As the world integrates and everything is digitized and then networked, this is warfare of the future........


That's for sure!

but...

it's all happening now! like it or not!
 
I would argue that it is 'now'. As the world integrates and everything is digitized and then networked, this is warfare of the future. It doesn't matter if the enemy has an excellent IAD's network if you can broadcast a signal that causes every piece of hardware to fry itself.

This is warfare of today. "Although the virus has just been detected, there was evidence that it may have been in operation for at least two years."


Super Malware Targets Middle East Computers - WSJ.com
 
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This is a good argument for why personal info should remain on paper and not be digitized, and why biometric data is not going to solve the problems we have.
 
Mya said:
*One of the most sophisticated pieces of malicious software ever discovered, with about 20 times as much code as Stuxnet.

LOL because length of code means anything at all. :roll:

Sorry, I just find these type of articles written by non-tech people hilarious. Maybe Wired will do an article on this.
 
LOL because length of code means anything at all. :roll:

Sorry, I just find these type of articles written by non-tech people hilarious. Maybe Wired will do an article on this.


The foremost security malware and virus experts in the world such as the Russian Karpersky Lab, have spent a considerable time on this virus... there are plenty of links in this thread.

It is easy to throw silly one liners like yours, prove your point or keep quiet.
 
LOL because length of code means anything at all. :roll:

Sorry, I just find these type of articles written by non-tech people hilarious. Maybe Wired will do an article on this.
:roll: yourself

ZDNet?
Flame: 'Most complex' cyber-attack ever discovered | ZDNet

Wired?
Meet 'Flame', The Massive Spy Malware Infiltrating Iranian Computers | Threat Level | Wired.com

SecureList?
http://www.securelist.com/en/blog/208193522/The_Flame_Questions_and_Answers


It's all over the web, man, all ya' gotta' do is look.


PS
You did fine, Mya. Being a holiday I won't browse ZDNet until tomorrow. I was glad for the tip-off! :)
 
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:) Oh my. We should go over there and blow them to bits shouldn't we?

Wait...did they not tell you. Many nations come out with pretty kick ass software like this. It is a continuously evolving process. It's certainly not advertised because it would show a weakness in the nations defense unless...they wanted you to see it. Not to scare you or nothing. China was actually the last publicized one to be doing this against us. I'm sure everyone is, though, including our allies.

But Iran...Something about that place that just says "Kick 'em" isn't there?
 
This is warfare of today.

this is part of the warfare of today, absolutely. Increasingly it will be a 1st and 2nd world critical vulnerability.

:2razz: all those fools who think that Blue Force Tracker and iPads will be the land nav model for ever and ever may want to brush up on their map skills.
 
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LOL because length of code means anything at all. :roll:

Sorry, I just find these type of articles written by non-tech people hilarious. Maybe Wired will do an article on this.

..and you have offered nothing of substance as usual.


From ZDNet

"Flame has the components of a Trojan, a backdoor, and a worm, and is designed to attack Windows machines. Researchers do not appear to know how Flame initially enters a network, but have identified a Windows vulnerability that the malware exploits."
Flame: 'Most complex' cyber-attack ever discovered | ZDNet

screen-shot-2012-05-28-at-155330.png


From Phys.Org

"The UN International Telecommunication Union has worked with Kaspersky Lab in the investigation, which finds that individuals, businesses, academic institutions and government systems have been hit. The total number of targets is an estimated 600. Iran has acknowledged Flame as a source of malware incidents. Iran's National Computer Emergency Response Team has posted a security alert stating Flame behind recent incidents of data loss. Other countries affected by the attack are Israel, Sudan, Syria, Lebanon, Saudi Arabia and Egypt."
Global wave of Flame cyber attacks called staggering


Again thanks Mya for this thread!!!
 
And that's why I run linux.
 
prove your point

I already did prove my point. Length of code means nothing; the reporter that wrote that article definitely does not know much about what he is talking about. I will read the Wired article for a better source.
 
:) Oh my. We should go over there and blow them to bits shouldn't we?

Wait...did they not tell you. Many nations come out with pretty kick ass software like this. It is a continuously evolving process. It's certainly not advertised because it would show a weakness in the nations defense unless...they wanted you to see it. Not to scare you or nothing. China was actually the last publicized one to be doing this against us. I'm sure everyone is, though, including our allies.

But Iran...Something about that place that just says "Kick 'em" isn't there?

umm...did anyone say anything remotely close to what your suggesting here...
 
while i'm unaware how much of the defense budget is geared towards cybersecurity, my feeling is that we really need to be preparing for this. we spend so much on defense that the money has to be there.
 
What makes anyone think we are not already prepared for this? Note that none of these attacks made it to the US. So far as we know, lol.

The government has been hiring code writers, software engineers, and even hackers, for years. There are plenty of people on defense dept payroll who got "scouted" by the FBI first, lol.
 
We can't even hold back juvenile Chinese hackers, what makes you think we could handle this?
 
What makes anyone think we are not already prepared for this? Note that none of these attacks made it to the US. So far as we know, lol.

The government has been hiring code writers, software engineers, and even hackers, for years. There are plenty of people on defense dept payroll who got "scouted" by the FBI first, lol.

Perhaps it was the US who developed this. We do not know who developed and disseminated this yet.
 
I already did prove my point. Length of code means nothing; the reporter that wrote that article definitely does not know much about what he is talking about. I will read the Wired article for a better source.

You have proven nothing, you stated a singular element of what was provided was meaningless. Kindly provide a source for your position and be more dispositive regarding the issues presented.
 
We need Richard Clarke on this. Actually, he's probably already on it. He's been talking about this kind of stuff for years. I hope the Pentagon listened to him enough to prepare some real cybersecurity for sensitive systems in this country.
 
You have proven nothing, you stated a singular element of what was provided was meaningless. Kindly provide a source for your position and be more dispositive regarding the issues presented.

I don't even know wtf you think I'm arguing. Are you really just disputing my assertion that length of code doesn't mean anything? Really?
 
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