Get ready for Duqu

[Ellirium113]

Well the inevitable has happened...stuxnet coding is being injected into other programs. I wonder if the virus the drone fleet picked up has any of this coding. 

The point of the new virus seems to be to gather corporate information and then send it to some as yet unknown site. Thus, it's a form of corporate espionage. Chillingly, researchers at Symantec, the giant antivirus company, say it looks like some of the code in the virus is the same as was found in the Stuxnet virus that wreaked havoc on Iran's nuclear program, indicating that the perpetuators were either able to obtain the code from that virus, or, are the same people.



http://www.physorg.com/news/2011-11-duqu-virus-linked-microsoft-word.html

Good thing Microsoft is on the ball and offering a permanent solution.

The US technology colossus released the "workaround" along with detailed information it said would enable anti-virus software companies to detect Duqu, which takes advantage of a flaw in Windows computer operating systems.

"To make it easy for customers, we have released a fix-it that will allow one-click installation of the workaround and an easy way for enterprises to deploy," said Microsoft trustworthy computing group manager Jerry Bryant.

"Our engineering teams determined the root cause of this vulnerability, and we are working to produce a high-quality security update to address it," he said in a security advisory posted online.



http://www.physorg.com/news/2011-11-microsoft-defenses-duqu-virus.html

Geez I didn't know you could get rid of a virus with a "Workaround". Last time I checked that meant  you can't deal with it so you figure out a way to function with it in the system. 

[Ellirium113]

Iran claims defence computer systems hit by another 'supervirus'

Iran says its defence computer systems have been infected with another "supervirus" known to be similar to one which severely damaged its nuclear programme last year.

Anti-virus experts last month identified a virus called "Duqu" that they said shared properties with the now famous "Stuxnet" worm, which spread across the world but is thought to have been successfully targeted at the nuclear programme's centrifuges, the devices that enrich uranium to create nuclear fuel.

It was not clear on Monday from the Iranian statement whether Duqu had also struck nuclear facilities, but it was the first admission of damage.

"We are in the initial phase of fighting the Duqu virus,"  Gholamreza Jalali, the head of Iran's civil defence programme, said. "The final report which says which organisations the virus has spread to and what its impacts are has not been completed yet.

"All the organisations and centres that could be susceptible to being contaminated are being controlled." 

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/middleeast/iran/8888967/Iran-claims-defence-computer-systems-hit-by-another-supervirus.html

If their initial phase of fighting the Duqu virus is installing Microsoft Update work-arounds they are in for a shocker. 

[Pimander]

I still don't understand why important projects nee to be open to virus attacks.  Surely once the known to be virus free software is installed there is no need for the computer to be on an open network.  If they kept it that way the there would be no danger of virus infection.

[Ellirium113]

I still don't understand why important projects nee to be open to virus attacks.  Surely once the known to be virus free software is installed there is no need for the computer to be on an open network.  If they kept it that way the there would be no danger of virus infection.

Doesn't even have to be on a network bud. The stuff comes embedded in the hardware you purchase from companies that outsource to other countries that may or may not be your enemy of the day.

[Pimander]

Once upon a time the Brits used to try to manufacture anything critical for defence at home.  This is yet more evidence of how sensiblew a policy that is.

Imaging if all computer chips were manufactured in the far easrt and China got control of those countries.  Worrying.

[Ellirium113]