FBI Takes Down 20-Year-Old Russian Malware
In a major development on the cyber warfare front, the FBI, in collaboration with seven other agencies from five countries, successfully dismantled a long-standing Russian cyberspy network.
Operating under various aliases such as Turla and Venomous Bear, the network had been active for a staggering two decades.
Its primary targets were Western military installations, governments, media, and other organizations.
The network’s weapon of choice was a sophisticated malware system called Snake, which possessed advanced peer-to-peer data sharing capabilities.
The FBI revealed that Snake had been discovered on computers across more than 50 countries, spanning all continents.
The malware was designed to gather intelligence, intercept diplomatic communications, scrape governmental databases, and engage in industrial espionage.
Snake, initially developed in 2003, underwent constant modifications and upgrades.
Surprisingly, the FBI had been tracking its activities since its inception and determined that the operations were conducted from the facilities of Russia’s Security Agency FSB and Ryazan in Moscow.
The malware was found to be the creation of Center 16, a dedicated FSB espionage unit.
Despite the early cracking of the tool, the FSB continued to utilize Snake, which came as a surprise to the FBI.
To counter this threat, Operation Medusa was launched, aiming to develop malware capable of disabling Snake.
The operation proved successful, leading to the downfall of Snake, as confirmed by the FBI.
In an intriguing move, the government released a comprehensive 40-page report on the entire operation, detailing its intricacies and providing valuable insights into cyber security.
The report is highly recommended for those interested in this field.
The big question now is how Russia will respond to this operation.
Only time will tell.
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Until next time!
