Malware linked with the National Security Agency (NSA) that has been used to spy on computers around the world threatens is said to had been infecting thousands of computer systems and steal data in 30 countries for almost two decades now. Among the targets include governments; telecom, energy and aerospace companies; as well as Islamic scholars and media organizations.
Russian Internet security company, Kaspersky told Reuters that the mysterious group nicknamed "the Equation group" uses malware that is unusually quiet, complex and powerful.
According to the report, the malware has already infected many computers, including government and military organizations, telecom and energy businesses, banks, nuclear researchers, the media and Islamic activists. Most infections are seen in Iran, along with Russia, Pakistan, Afghanistan, China, Mali, Syria, Yemen and Algeria.
Kaspersky described the hacking campaign "that exceeds anything we have ever seen before."
It has said that the Equation group's malware could live permanently on hardware, even when reinstalling a computer's operating system or reformatting the hard disk. It can also avoid detection by any antivirus software.
Although the Internet security company did not particularly mention the author of the spying campaign, Kaspersky's researchers found that the Equation group uses a hacking tool called "GROK," the same tool used exclusively by the NSA. It also appears to have similarities to Stuxnet, the computer worm that sabotaged Iranian nuclear facilities in 2010 and was later revealed to be a joint U.S.-Israeli project.
However, the NSA told Intercept that they are aware of the issue, but they refused to comment particularly on the Kaspersky report. The agency noted that they are focused on foiling terrorist plots from al-Qaeda and ISIS.
CNN also reported that Kaspersky researchers have also divulged that the Equation group built some of its earliest malware in 2002. But the computer infrastructure used to spread the group's computer viruses was already made as early as 1996.
The Kaspersky report noted that "their ability to stay quiet this long goes to show how talented they are."
Join the Conversation