Security experts have discovered a new piece of malware that resembles the sophisticated computer worm that sabotaged Iran's nuclear program but which is much more dangerous.
Stuxnet, the cyberweapon that damaged Iran's nuclear centrifuges. Stuxnet is the most complex malware ever written. It's a piece of software that ultimately made history as the world's first real cyberweapon. This prompted warnings, that we could be seeing the start of the next security arms race.
But according to researchers at Symantec, this one is different and more alarming. It's named Duqu (because it creates files with the file name prefix "~DQ"). Instead of causing damage, it's designed to spy on users by logging keystrokes. It can then steal files and by doing so, lay the groundwork for a cyberattack. "The attackers intend to use this capability to gather intelligence from a private entity to aid future attacks on a third party,'' Symantec says.
"Duqu's purpose is to gather intelligence data and assets from entities, such as industrial control system manufacturers, in order to more easily conduct a future attack against another third party. The attackers are looking for information such as design documents that could help them mount a future attack on an industrial control facility."
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