Regin, new computer spying bug, discovered by Symantec

[EternalOptimist]

The Regin bug has obviously been used by the West to spy in the Iranian nuclear program, the Thatch was used to spy on the miners and to take the milk from the the minors.
The most pernicious worm is the Blair. because it can lie for years, undetected.

man, can that worm lie

[NickFitz]

Here's a good first look at it: you can also download it, or rather some of its components, if you fancy having a dig yourself: https://firstlook.org/theintercept/2...acom-nsa-gchq/

[NickFitz]

Six years old... So updated how many times I wonder?

FTFY.

[Sysman]

It seems to me that the media have developed a taste for reporting on computer nasties and they'll dig any old thing out.

Yesterday's report from the Beeb didn't even mention that Regin is a Windows only thing.

Mind you, the Symantec report on it managed to get to page 10 before the word "Windows" popped up.

[tomtomagain]

Dear USofA, why don't you just ask my password?

They don't need to ask.

[TykeMerc]

Six years old... So superseded how many times I wonder?

In the cyber security world that's not old news, it's pre-historic.

[scooterscot]

Dear USofA, why don't you just ask my password? I'd be happy to give it up. it's 'tulipoff'

Regin, new computer spying bug, discovered by Symantec

23 November 2014 Last updated at 18:32 GMT
A man uses a laptop at a coffee shop in Hanoi - 28 November 2013Symantec researchers likened the bug to Stuxnet, a computer worm that targeted Iran's nuclear program
A leading computer security company says it has discovered one of the most sophisticated pieces of malicious software ever seen.

Symantec says the bug, named Regin, was probably created by a government and has been used for six years against a range of targets around the world.

Once installed on a computer, it can do things like capture screenshots, steal passwords or recover deleted files.

Experts say computers in Russia, Saudi Arabia and Ireland have been hit most.

It has been used to spy on government organisations, businesses and private individuals, they say.

Researchers say the sophistication of the software indicates that it is a cyber-espionage tool developed by a nation state.

They also said it likely took months, if not years, to develop and its creators have gone to great lengths to cover its tracks.

Sian John, a security strategist at Symantec, said: "It looks like it comes from a Western organisation. It's the level of skill and expertise, the length of time over which it was developed."

Symantec has drawn parallels with Stuxnet, a computer worm thought to have been developed by the US and Israel to target Iran's nuclear program.

That was designed to damage equipment, whereas Regin's purpose appears to be to collect information.