Israel, US jointly developed Flame virus
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Washington - The US and Israel jointly developed the Flame virus in an effort to slow down Iran's nuclear program, the Washington Post reported late Tuesday, citing Western officials with knowledge of the matter.
The report confirmed widespread speculation about the mystery organisations behind the sophisticated cyber attack discovered recently on computers used by the Iranian Oil Ministry and identified by the Moscow-based online security firm Kaspersky Labs.
The report said development of the Flame virus began five years ago, and that it had been collecting information from its targeted networks for years. The presence of the virus was only detected after Israel launched a cyber attack on the oil ministry which caused damage, the report said.
The virus, called the most sophisticated cyber weapon ever invented, penetrated targeted computers by posing as a Microsoft update. Once installed on a computer it could send information back to its controllers about everything the computer did, including documents, keystrokes, and even activate the computer microphone to eavesdrop on nearby conversations.//DPA
