When asked by CNET why the Flame was so hard to detect, Schouwenberg said that its stealth is indicative or its origins. Kaspersky senior researcher Roel Schouwenberg said the malware must have been developed by a state.

When Kaspersky Lab first revealed its existence in computer networks across the Middle East, especially Iran, analysts acknowledged that the brains behind the malware could very well be a state entity, Most fingers pointed toward Israel. More from GlobalPost: Is Iran using hackers to attack the foreign press?īut perhaps more interesting than the technobabble behind the inner workings of the virus is the implications its sophistication has concerning its source of origin. In short, Flame monitors almost everything that is done on the computer it infects. While it can log the keystrokes used on a computer it infects, it can also monitor the computer’s display, keep tabs on voice communication, and monitor the day to day workings of its host network. The Flame differs from similar pieces of malware like keyloggers in its level of sophistication.

Not unlike the other fictional piece of malware, the Cylon virus of Battlestar Galactica, the Flame creates backdoors to access computers on a network and spreads through shared files or USB flash drives. 'Flame' - an incredibly sophisticated piece of malware - has become the best known computer malware since the Da Vinci virus from the 1995 film Hackers, making headlines as part of a refined, possibly state-sponsored, cyber-weapon used against Iran.ĭiscovered by researchers at Russia-based Kaspersky Lab, a computer security company, the Flame is a worm that steals data and monitors the digital activity and correspondence of its victims.

How does worm virus work