Russians Discovered New Computer Virus

29 May 2012, Cyber security experts have exposed the world's most complex computer virus possessing a range of sophisticated espionage capabilities, which has sought to steal data from computers in Iran and other Middle East countries.


The computer virus, known as Flame, was discovered by Kaspersky Lab, a Russian cyber security software maker that took credit for detecting the malicious computer code, Reuters reported.

Kaspersky researchers have said they did not fully understand the scope of the 20-gigabyte virus, adding that its code was 100 times the size of the most malicious software.

The Russian researchers noted that targets of the malware appeared to be in Iran, Sudan, Syria, Lebanon, Saudi Arabia and Egypt.

Flame can gather data files, remotely change settings on computers, turn on computer microphones to record conversations, take screen shots and copy instant messaging chats.

Experts say Flame is 20 times more powerful than the Stuxnet virus, which struck Iran months ago.

Stuxnet, first indentified by the Iranian officials in June 2010, is a malware designed to infect computers using a control system favored by industries that manage water supplies, oil rigs, and power plants.

In July 2010, media reports claimed that Stuxnet had targeted industrial computers around the globe, with Iran being the main target of the attack. They said the country's Bushehr nuclear power plant was at the center of the cyber attack.

However, Iranian experts detected the virus in time, averting any damage to the country's industrial sites and resources.