US-Israel Flame Computer Virus to slow Iranian nuclear activities!

U.S., Israel developed Flame computer virus to slow Iranian nuclear efforts, officials say

AFP/Getty Images -  This screen grab taken released by the Kaspersky Lab site shows a program of the computer virus known as Flame. Officials said the virus was designed to collect intelligence in preparation for cyber-sabotage attacks aimed at slowing Iran’s ability to develop a nuclear weapon.
   Text Size PrintE-mailReprints
By Ellen Nakashima, Greg Miller and Julie Tate, Tuesday, June 19, 3:07 PM

The United States and Israel jointly developed a sophisticated computer virus nicknamed Flame that collected critical intelligence in preparation for cyber-sabotage attacks aimed at slowing Iran’s ability to develop a nuclear weapon, according to Western officials with knowledge of the effort.

The massive piece of malware was designed to secretly map Iran’s computer networks and monitor the computers of Iranian officials, sending back a steady stream of intelligence used to enable an ongoing cyberwarfare campaign, according to the officials.


Iran’s quest to possess nuclear technology: Iran said it has made advances in nuclear technology, citing new uranium enrichment centrifuges and domestically made reactor fuel.
More World News
United Nations’ Rio+20 conference

The United Nations’ largest-ever conference has begun in Rio de Janeiro.
Israeli official says priority is peace process, not attack on Iran

Karin Brulliard 6:30 AM ET
Kadima party leader Shaul Mofaz says he will push for U.S. help to end Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
Fear of the rising sea

From Barbados to Bangladesh, here is a look at nations that are most affected by climate change.
U.S. to fund start of ocean acidificaiton tracking

The effort, involving the National Security Agency, the CIA and Israel’s military, has included the use of destructive software such as the so-called Stuxnet virus to cause malfunctions in Iran’s nuclear enrichment equipment.

The emerging details about Flame provide new clues about what is believed to be the first sustained campaign of cyber-sabotage against an adversary of the United States.

“This is about preparing the battlefield for another type of covert action,” said one former high-ranking U.S. intelligence official, who added that Flame and Stuxnet were elements of a broader assault that continues today. “Cyber collection against the Iranian program is way further down the road than this.”

Flame came to light last month after Iran detected a series of cyberattacks on its oil industry. The disruption was directed by Israel in a unilateral operation that apparently caught its U.S. partners off guard, according to several U.S. and Western officials, speaking on the condition of anonymity.

There had been speculation that the United States had a role in developing Flame, but the collaboration on the virus between Washington and Israel has not been previously confirmed. Commercial security researchers last week reported that Flame contained some of the same code as Stuxnet. Experts described the overlap as DNA-like evidence that the two sets of malware were parallel projects run by the same entity.

Spokespersons for the CIA, the NSA and the Office of the Director of National Intelligence, as well as the Israeli Embassy in Washington, declined to comment.

The virus is among the most sophisticated and subversive pieces of malware exposed to date. Experts said the program was designed to replicate across even highly secure networks, then control everyday computer functions to send a flow of secrets back to its creators. The code could activate computer microphones and cameras, log keyboard strokes, take computer screen shots, extract geolocation data from images and send and receive commands and data through Bluetooth wireless technology.

Flame was designed to do all this while masquerading as a routine Microsoft software update, evading detection for several years by using a sophisticated program to crack an encryption algorithm.

“This is not something that most security researchers have the skills or resources to do,” said Tom Parker, chief technology officer for Fusion X, a security firm specializing in simulating state-sponsored cyberattacks, who does not know who was behind the virus. “You’d expect that of only the most advanced cryptomathematicians, such as those working at NSA.”


If the SOVIET NAVY plugs into SYRIA they are going to get a STUX in their NET.

ahcr
4:00 PM EDT
To the person commenting on leaks in the Obama Adminstfation.... You obviously have not learned to read. The action that resulted in Iran's discovery of the malware in their network was the result of of a unilateral launch of the malware by Israel and the people anonamously leaking information to the reporter were previous employees of the Bush Administration which started the development of the malware with Israel. You should be worried about King Bibi not President Obama. Get a life and learn to read!

LifeBeforePrinciple1
4:00 PM EDT
The righties line up here to blame George Soros. Hahaha.
View all comments »
Add your comment | Reply to a comment | Recommend a comment | Report an offensive comment

The Post Most: World
Most Popular
Russian ship bound for Syria reverses course
British official: 'Arms' ship headed for Syria appears to have turned back toward Russia
Agent: Victor Spinetti, actor who appeared in several Beatles movies, dies at 82
Chen Guangcheng adjusts to life in America
Campaign says Mubarak's ex-PM won Egypt's presidential election, countering Islamist claim
Top Videos
Top Galleries

The Post's Foreign Bureaus
View all correspondents by bureau
WP Social Reader (Disabled) Enable
See what your friends are reading!Powered by
Personal Post
Top recommendations for you
17 h
NATIONAL SECURITY
Chen Guangcheng adjusts to life in America
18 h
NATIONAL SECURITY
Smaller defense programs need a closer look, too
Start your Personal Post with National Security to see everything you love on one page »
More headlines for you >
Featured Advertiser Links
★ Recently diagnosed with M E S O T H E L I O M A? ★
Get paid for your H I P  I M P L A N T troubles.
Help Barack stand up for working Americans. Join our campaign now.
Looking to buy a home? Visit TWP Real Estate section for the latest open houses.
Get the facts on volatile gas prices at GasPricesExplained.org
Access your computer on-the-go with LogMeIn Pro