Powerful "Flame" cyber weapon found in Iran

[BlueStateSaint]

Hmmm . . .  so there was a "pre-Stuxnet," eh?

Powerful "Flame" cyber weapon found in Iran

By Jim Finkle

BOSTON | Mon May 28, 2012 3:55pm EDT

BOSTON (Reuters) - Security experts have discovered a highly sophisticated computer virus in Iran and the Middle East that they believe was deployed at least five years ago to engage in state-sponsored cyber espionage.

Evidence suggest that the virus, dubbed Flame, may have been built on behalf of the same nation or nations that commissioned the Stuxnet worm that attacked Iran's nuclear program in 2010, according to Kaspersky Lab, the Russian cyber security software maker that claimed responsibility for discovering the virus.

Kaspersky researchers said on Monday they have yet to determine whether Flame had a specific mission like Stuxnet, and declined to say who they think built it.

Iran has accused the United States and Israel of deploying Stuxnet.

Cyber security experts said the discovery provides new evidence to the public to show what experts privy to classified information have long known: that nations have been using pieces of malicious computer code as weapons to promote their security interests for several years.

Well, someone doesn't like the Iranians . . .

The rest is here:  http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/05/28/net-us-cyberwar-flame-idUSBRE84R0E420120528