Flame virus discovered in UAE,Saudi Arabia
A mysterious 'cyber-weapon' found to be attacking computer systems in Iran has been detected in the UAE, Saudi Arabia and other Gulf countries, UAE daily The National reported on Tuesday.
The sophisticated 'Flame' virus was uncovered by top Russian anti-virus software firm Kapersky Lab last month, prompting a global investigation.
The malware described as a 'cyber-espionage kit' has been detected on 11 computers in Saudi Arabia and two computers each in Qatar and the UAE, Stefan Tanase, a researcher at Kapersky, told The National. One additional infected computer was found in Bahrain, Tanase added.
'Flame' can search for specific files on an infected computer, particularly PDF and text documents, as well as design files from engineering software AutoCAD, according to an Agency France Presse (AFP) report.
The cyber-weapon "hunts for e-mails and many different kinds of other 'interesting' (high-value) files that are specified in the malware configuration," a chief security expert at Kapersky told AFP.
The National said the UAE discovery had prompted 'security concerns for energy firms based in the Gulf and industrial plants,' since the virus was particularly interested in AutoCAD files.
This may include classified documents from targets ranging from "a power plant to a production facility ... to oil platforms,” Tanase said.
"If I was working in this industry I would be worried,” he added.
With a total of 185 infections, Iran is the main target of the attack, followed by Israel and Palestinian Territories at 95.
Since its discovery, speculation has been strife that the virus was created by the US and Israel to attack Iran's nuclear program, but Kapersky has not revealed more information on the originators, AFP said.
