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Cyber-wars: The U.S. and Israel develop destructive Flame virus to slow Iran’s nuclear programme

By Eddie Wrenn View(s):

They are two of the most destructive computer viruses ever created, tailor-made for cyber-espionage and capable of wreaking havoc on government systems.Both Flame and Stuxnet are believed to have been used by the U.S. government to wage online warfare against hostile regimes.

Now The Washington Post has claimed, citing anonymous Western officials, that the United States and Israel jointly developed the Flame computer virus that collected intelligence to help slow Iran’s nuclear programme

The so-called Flame malware aimed to map Iran’s computer networks and monitor computers of Iranian officials, the newspaper said.
It was designed to provide intelligence to help in a cyber campaign against Iran’s nuclear programme, involving the National Security Agency, the CIA and Israel’s military, the Post said.

The cyber campaign against Iran’s nuclear programme has included the use of another computer virus called Stuxnet that caused malfunctions in Iran’s nuclear enrichment equipment, the newspaper said.

Current and former U.S. and Western national security officials confirmed to Reuters that the United States played a role in creating the Flame virus.

Since Flame was an intelligence ‘collection’ virus rather than a cyberwarfare programme to sabotage computer systems, it required less-stringent U.S. legal and policy review than any U.S. involvement in offensive cyberwarfare efforts, experts told Reuters.
Flame is the most complex computer spying programme ever discovered.

� Daily Mail, London

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