The US FBI has dealt a major blow to Russian intelligence by neutralizing the Russian spy software “Snake”. With that software, the Russians allegedly seized sensitive documents from NATO member states for twenty years. “Snake was the eyes and ears of the Russians,” says Dave Maasland, director of cybersecurity firm ESET Netherlands.
Maasland calls Snake the crown jewel of Russian espionage, a “masterpiece of espionage” with which Russians could eavesdrop at will in 50 countries for 20 years. According to Maasland, the malware could not only steal documents, but could also take additional steps to enter networks. “This malware has been spied on by the ears and eyes of Russians in many countries.”
“This is really a blow to the Russians”
Russian malware has been in development since 2003, security companies have been writing about it ever since. Maasland calls the program a masterpiece because it contains so few errors. Year after year, a lot of time has been spent improving it. Snake knows how to keep himself well hidden and is therefore very difficult for companies to detect.
“This is the Russian flagship, a masterpiece of espionage”
According to Maasland, not only is malware a beautiful piece of technology, but the approach of Americans is also special and new. The Americans managed to find out exactly what Snake is communicating with, and something was applied to the infected system that renders the malware harmless. Maasland acknowledges that this is a controversial approach, because it also hacks into infected systems, without the owner’s knowledge. “They actually used malware to clean your PC.”
However, Maasland thinks this is the only way to disable this advanced malware: by injecting “some sort of antidote that eventually caused the program to self-destruct on all those systems.” Maasland finds the timing particularly interesting now that Russia has reached a crucial point in the war. “They have to make important decisions now, which indicates that America is very consciously trying to deal a blow to the intelligence services. Let’s hope it has some impact on the conflict.’
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Source: BNR
Sharon Rock is an author and journalist who writes for 24 News Globe. She has a passion for learning about different cultures and understanding the complexities of the world. With a talent for explaining complex global issues in an accessible and engaging way, Sharon has become a respected voice in the field of world news journalism.
