Cyberwar on Iran more widespread than first thought, say researchers

[xchrom]

http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/2012/sep/21/cyberwar-iran-more-sophisticated


A screen grab taken by Kaspersky Lab shows the sophisticated computer worm Flame. Photograph: AFP/Getty Images

The covert cyberwar being waged in the Middle East and north Africa – particularly against Iran and its allies – is even more sophisticated and widespread than had previously been understood, according to new research.

Two leading computer security laboratories – Kaspersky Lab and Symantec – have been studying a series of powerful cyberweapons used against targets including the Iranian nuclear programme and Lebanese banks accused of laundering money for Iran and its ally Hezbollah. They are now convinced that all were probably created by a national government or governments working together.

They have also identified key similarities in the weapons' computer coding suggesting some – if not all – were worked on at different times by the same or related groups of programmers.

Suspicion over the most likely culprit has centred on the US and Israel – not least after anonymous briefings to the Washington Post by an unnamed former senior US intelligence official this year.

[porphyrian]

1. This shouldn't be surprising. n/t

[leveymg]

2. Didn't the Pentagon announce just yesterday that cyberattacks are acts of war?

So, what are we and the Israelis doing?

[nebenaube]

3. What language is that?

Lisp?

[xchrom]

4. Huh? Nt

[nebenaube]

5. The code...

It looks like routines for loading configuration but it's not c, c++, fortran, pascal, or any other native language I know of. Is it Lisp or smalltalk or ada?

[Berlum]

6. Flame? WTF? No noes.

[trumad]

7. Here's the thing...

If we can do it---eventually someone else will do it to us.

I fully expect the next big attack in this country will be Cyber. mho