Meet FLAME, the Newly-Discovered Malware with Mysterious Origins

Its origins have now been revealed: America and Israel

Stuxnet was one of the world's first real cyberweapons, and was used by forces unknown to destroy Iran's uranium-enriching centrifuges and sabotage the country's nuclear ambitions in 2010. But now a newly discovered piece of malware called "FLAME" has dwarfed Stuxnet in both size and scope. It seems to have been created by a nation-state - one with a lot of interest in the Middle East.

Update, June 20: The Washington Post reports that the FLAME malware was a joint project between the US and Israel. FLAME's purpose, an unnamed Western official said, was to map and monitor Iran's computer network in preparation for a cyberwar campaign.

Here's a short list of what Flame can do: it can change computer settings, turn on computer microphones, take screen shots every 15 seconds, log instant messaging chats, record keyboard strokes and passwords, syphon names and numbers on cell phones through Bluetooth, make itself virtually disappear, and - scarily - has the ability to adapt to its computer environment and spread.

The Flame malware, Wired reports, was discovered by Kaspersky Lab, a Russian-based cyber-security firm acting for the UN, who found the malware while investigating another virus that Iranian industries complained had stolen and deleted data.

So far Flame appears to have targeted only countries in the Middle East, ranging from Iran to Lebanon, Syria, Sudan, and West Palestine. The malware is so complex that it will apparently take a decade for Kaspersky Lab to parse and discover its ultimate intentions.

Story posted May 29th.

Are cyberweapons like this worrisome, or a good means of national defense?

[stevie]

its going to take them a decade to figure out? I hope they're not being paid by the hour. In any case, I expect we'll see more nation built malware and not less as time goes on.

[ir0nw0lfe]

Both, worrisome and a good means of national defense. The US should employ every means and counter measure available to safeguard US interest. This is just one more battlefront. And before we go awww, how unfair to the ME, lets keep in mind that Iran has been testing missiles to carry EMP payloads to the US. Which if used on the East Coast would make 9/11 look like a school yard tussle.

[Liarz]

Welcome to a new age. This is only the beginning.

[Bobolinsky]

I admit bafflement and ignorance when it comes to the cyber-war debate. But I'm more concerned with the intrusiveness of both the public and private sector intrusion into our lives through technology.

Why is their a crime called identity theft that implies ownership, but I don't get royalties when InfoUSA sells my identity?

[Mia]

Maybe not leaking military secrets would be a good national defense!

[Stratton]

Good for us, I just hope our geniuses who come with this stuff are also coming up with ways to block it from being used against us in return.