Stuxnet-Level Malware Spying on State Networks

A highly sophisticated network of hackers has been spying on hundreds of diplomatic computers around the world unnoticed for about five years, reports the Christian Science Monitor. The "Red October" malware being used is on par with the notorious Stuxnet and Flame viruses, but this time criminals—as opposed to governments—may be behind it, says Russian Internet security firm Kaspersky Labs. Sites in Russia and the former Soviet satellite states have been the most frequent targets, but the US has seen a handful of attacks, too.

"This is the first attack that can be compared, judging by its complexity, with state-sponsored attacks like Flame," says an expert with Kaspersky. Details on exactly what got stolen are skimpy, but embassies, trade centers, nuclear research centers, and oil and gas facilities were targets, reports TheNextWeb. The attackers appear to have "Russian-speaking origins," but the software used suggests that Chinese hackers also played a role. Kaspersky provides the nitty gritty of its findings here. (More hackers stories.)