Surprise! "Hackers" up the ante! Not really surprising, is it? They're not really "hackers," either.. IT World. Whole Thing, plus some comments:
Remember Stuxnet, the malware targeted at the Iranian nuclear industry? Say hello to Flame (Win32.Flame), a 20MB piece of modern cyberwar weaponry.
Detailed by Kaspersky Lab Expert Aleks in a Questions and Answers entry on SecureList, Flame is 20 times larger than Stuxnet and has been floating around the Middle East for two years or more. It is "a backdoor, a Trojan, and it has worm-like features," according to Kaspersky, and reports to about 80 command-and-control domains. Various Flame modules can be initialized on infected systems to change the information gathered.
Flame is able to infect a fully patched Windows 7 system, indicating it leverages a zero-day exploit not yet known to security researchers. The complexity and size of Flame indicates the likely developer was a "government-sponsored entity" according to the Wall Street Journal. Other names for Flame are Flamer, Wiper, Viper, and sKyWIper. It may be the "most complex malware ever found," according to a CrySyS Lab report.
Short sighted comment:
This is an advanced mechanism employed by a state agency. The article isn't overt, but the implication is clearly that this device is of US origin and purpose. Personally, I'm happy to see the US engaging in this sort of behavior. National Defense with low cost and no lives lost!
Andrew Middleton on wired.com
How ya gonna feel there, Andy, when Flame takes out the control systems of that nuclear plant you live downwind from? How many lives will be lost if, during the middle of summer, entire power grids across the country are taken out, for weeks, even months? Any cyber weapon we use can ultimately be used against us. When you design software for cyber attack, that code can be captured, re-created and sent back at us with variants we might not be expecting.
These technologies are Digital Djinn: They are magnificent powers, and should be treated with utmost respect. Already though, it's too late. They're already out in the cyberscape, ready to destroy, waiting to fulfill their programmed purpose, waiting until such time when the order does come.
Technologically Modern Society stands on a precipice much, much shakier than Technologically Modern Society could ever admit. Most of the world will be oblivious to full on cyber warfare, though: When it happens, no one will have power, so no one will fully know what's happening.. Besides, they'll probably be more focused on more immediate needs, like life during extended blackout chaos. But trust me, there will some Episodes of Spectacular-ity during that conflict, that is for sure..
Remember Stuxnet, the malware targeted at the Iranian nuclear industry? Say hello to Flame (Win32.Flame), a 20MB piece of modern cyberwar weaponry.
Detailed by Kaspersky Lab Expert Aleks in a Questions and Answers entry on SecureList, Flame is 20 times larger than Stuxnet and has been floating around the Middle East for two years or more. It is "a backdoor, a Trojan, and it has worm-like features," according to Kaspersky, and reports to about 80 command-and-control domains. Various Flame modules can be initialized on infected systems to change the information gathered.
Flame is able to infect a fully patched Windows 7 system, indicating it leverages a zero-day exploit not yet known to security researchers. The complexity and size of Flame indicates the likely developer was a "government-sponsored entity" according to the Wall Street Journal. Other names for Flame are Flamer, Wiper, Viper, and sKyWIper. It may be the "most complex malware ever found," according to a CrySyS Lab report.
Short sighted comment:
This is an advanced mechanism employed by a state agency. The article isn't overt, but the implication is clearly that this device is of US origin and purpose. Personally, I'm happy to see the US engaging in this sort of behavior. National Defense with low cost and no lives lost!
Andrew Middleton on wired.com
How ya gonna feel there, Andy, when Flame takes out the control systems of that nuclear plant you live downwind from? How many lives will be lost if, during the middle of summer, entire power grids across the country are taken out, for weeks, even months? Any cyber weapon we use can ultimately be used against us. When you design software for cyber attack, that code can be captured, re-created and sent back at us with variants we might not be expecting.
These technologies are Digital Djinn: They are magnificent powers, and should be treated with utmost respect. Already though, it's too late. They're already out in the cyberscape, ready to destroy, waiting to fulfill their programmed purpose, waiting until such time when the order does come.
Technologically Modern Society stands on a precipice much, much shakier than Technologically Modern Society could ever admit. Most of the world will be oblivious to full on cyber warfare, though: When it happens, no one will have power, so no one will fully know what's happening.. Besides, they'll probably be more focused on more immediate needs, like life during extended blackout chaos. But trust me, there will some Episodes of Spectacular-ity during that conflict, that is for sure..
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