Budapest Post

Cum Deo pro Patria et Libertate
Budapest, Europe and world news

US Disables Russian Malware Used For 20 Years To Spy In 50 Countries

US Disables Russian Malware Used For 20 Years To Spy In 50 Countries

The FSB had successfully inserted the "Snake" or "Uroburos" malware on computer systems around the world.
The US Justice Department said Tuesday that it had disabled a "sophisticated" malware network used by Russia's FSB intelligence agency for two decades to spy in 50 countries including a NATO ally.

The FSB had successfully inserted the "Snake" or "Uroburos" malware on computer systems around the world, focused on government networks, research facilities, journalists and other targets, according to US officials.

Computers in the system also served as relay nodes to disguise traffic to and from Snake malware inserted on target computer systems, they said.

In a years-long operation, the FBI was able to defeat Snake by inserting its own bit of computer code into it, which issued commands causing the malware to overwrite itself, the Justice Department said.

"Through a high-tech operation that turned Russian malware against itself, US law enforcement has neutralized one of Russia's most sophisticated cyber-espionage tools, used for two decades to advance Russia's authoritarian objectives," said Deputy Attorney General Lisa Monaco.

The malware has been known by computer security experts for at least a decade, and CISA, the US cyber defense agency, said the FSB began developing it in 2003.

CISA called Snake "the most sophisticated cyber espionage tool in the FSB's arsenal," noting that it was particularly stealthy, extremely hard to detect in computer systems and network traffic.

In addition, it was designed for easy updating and modification, and yet had "surprisingly few bugs given its complexity," CISA said.

Those aspects allowed the FSB to work undetected for years through sprawling host networks to get into computers with sensitive documents.

At least in one case Snake was placed on the systems of an unnamed NATO country, allowing Russian intelligence to access and exfiltrate sensitive international relations documents and diplomatic communications, CISA said.

"The effectiveness of this type of cyber espionage implant depends entirely on its long-term stealth," the agency said.
Newsletter

Related Articles

Budapest Post
Close
0:00
0:00
Climate cultists thought they had sabotaged another beautiful event — then the cameraman had his revenge.
Nvidia CEO Huang says firms, individuals without AI expertise will be left behind
WPP Revolutionizes Advertising with NVIDIA's AI Powerhouse
Two US Employees Fired For Chasing Robbers Out Of Store As They Broke ''Company Policy''
Pfizer, the EU, and disappearing ink - Smoke, Mirrors, and the Billion-Dose Pfizer Vaccine Deal: EU's 'Open Secret
Actor Tom Hanks told Harvard University graduates to be superheroes in their defense of truth and American ideals, and to resist those who twist the truth for their own gain
A provocative study suggests: Left-Wing Extremism and its Unsettling Connection to Psychopathy and Narcissism
France Arrests 10 on Suspicion of Failing to Respond in Time to Migrant Drowning
Neuralink Receives FDA Approval for First-in-Human Clinical Study
Is Saudi Arabia the holiest place in the world? Ancient Hebrew Inscriptions from "The Mount Sinai Stand" Discovered in Saudi Arabia
Ukrainian Intelligence Official Admits to Assassination Attempts on Putin
WATCH THIS: democracy in Russia is so bad!
Ed Davey: It is possible for a woman to have a penis
Bernard Arnault Loses $11.2 Billion in One Day as Investors Fear Slowdown in US Growth Will Reduce Demand for Luxury Products
Russian’s Wagner Group leader: “I am not a chef, I am a butcher. Russia is in danger of a revolution like in 1917.”
TikTok Sues Montana Over Law Banning the App
Ron DeSantis Jumps Into 2024 Presidential Race, Setting Up Showdown With Trump
Steve Jobs introducing Apple's iPhone, exactly 16 years ago.
China overtakes Japan as world's top car exporter
Elon Musk's SpaceX and Italy's Unipol join forces to help Italians hit by flooding
Talks between US House Republicans and President Biden's Democratic administration on raising the federal government's $31.4tn debt ceiling have paused
Syrian President Bashar al-Assad received a warm welcome at an Arab summit in Jeddah
Biden Administration Eyeing High-Profile Visits to China: The Biden Administration is heating things up by looking into setting up a series of top-level visits to Beijing by top officials in the coming months
New evidence in special counsel probe may undercut Trump’s claim documents he took were automatically declassified
A French court of appeals confirmed former President Nicolas Sarkozy's three-year jail term for corruption and influence peddling
Debt Ceiling Crises Have Unleashed Political Chaos
Weibao Wang, a former software engineer at Apple, was charged with stealing trade secrets related to autonomous systems, including self-driving cars
Mobile phone giant Vodafone to cut 11,000 jobs globally over three years as new boss says its performance not good enough
Elon Musk compares George Soros to Magneto, the supervillain from the Marvel Comics series.
Warren Buffett Sells TSMC Shares Over Concerns About Taiwan's Stability
New Study Finds That Secondary Bacterial Pneumonia Is a Major Cause of Death in COVID-19 Patients Who Require Ventilator Assistance
Vienna: Passenger Plays Hitler Speeches on Train, Causes Panic
The official tapes of Trump's deposition in the E. Jean Carroll battery (rape) and defamation case have been released.
King Charles III being crowned.
Newly released video of Donald Trump’s rape trial deposition:
Video: Ukraine MP Punches Russian Representative At Global Meet
El Paso mayor has declared a state of emergency
Russia accused Ukraine of attacking the Kremlin with drones in an attempt to kill Putin
Ahead of King Charles’ coronation, British guards rehearse in the middle of the night in London
Dutch court orders man who fathered 550 kids to stop donating sperm
Kim Kardashian Lookalike Christina Ashten Dies Of Cardiac Arrest, Hours After Plastic Surgery
Samsung has banned employees from using generative AI services such as ChatGPT
'Godfather Of AI' Geoffrey Hinton Quits Google To Warn Of The Tech's Dangers
A Real woman
Vermont Man Charged with Stalking After Secretly Tracking Woman with Apple AirTag
Elon Musk Statements About Tesla Autopilot Could Be 'Deepfakes,' Lawyers Claim. Judge Evette Pennypacker Does Not Understand How Far and Advanced This Technology Became
Ukraine More Prepared for Counterattack as Reinforcements Arrive
UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni Discuss Migration, Defence, and Ukraine
Tucker Carlson is back, soon!
AT&T's Successful Test of Satellite-Based Phone Call Raises Possibility of Widespread Coverage
×