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Cyberattack targeted Iran talks?

June 10, 2015

Kaspersky Lab has said it had detected a sophisticated malware that was used to hack into venues linked to talks on Iran's nuclear program. It's widely believed that Israeli spies were behind the activities.

https://p.dw.com/p/1FeiP
Cyberespionage
Image: picture-alliance/dpa

Russian security company Kaspersky Lab said Wednesday it had found a computer virus, which was used to hack into venues linked to international talks on Iran's nuclear ambitions.

The Wall Street Journal wrote the malware was widely believed to have been used by Israeli spies, as Kaspersky linked the virus to three luxury hotels in Europe which played a part in negotiations involving Iran and six world powers.

Ironically, Kaspersky looked into the cyberattack after detecting the "Ducu 2.0" malware in its own systems in early spring this year, saying the virus was designed to spy on the company's technology, research and internal processes.

Complex code

"Most notably, some of the new 2014-2015 infections are linked events and venues related to the negotiations with Iran about a nuclear deal," Kaspersky said in a statement.

The security firm said the unidentified group behind the Duqu malware was "one of the most skilled, mysterious and powerful actors in the advanced persistent threat (APT) world."

Cyber Attacks: Industrial espionage via the internet

Kaspersky pointed out Duqu was previously used for an unspecified cyberattack in 2011 that bore similarities to Stuxnet, a computer virus that partially sabotaged Iran's nuclear program by destroying at least a thousand uranium-enriching centrifuges.

hg/sri (Reuters, dpa)