|
 |
 |
|
Report: US, Israel designed Flame computer virus against Iran
The United States and Israel developed together the Flame computer virus that was designed to collect intelligence on Iran’s computer networks, The Washington Post reported.
Flame, the virus that became public last month, was one part of an effort by the National Security Agency, the CIA and the Israeli military to try to slow Iran’s nuclear program, according to the Post.
The cyber operations included the Stuxnet attack that caused Iranian centrifuges to malfunction, which became publicly connected to the United States and Israel in a New York Times report last month that first confirmed the United States has used offensive cyber weapons against Iran.
The Post reported that Flame came to light after a unilateral attack by Israel on Iran’s oil industry that caught U.S. officials off guard, and prompted Iran to investigate and discover the virus.
Flame, which was part of the Olympic Games program that also developed Stuxnet, was created five years ago, the Post reported.
While cybersecurity experts had already suspected ties between Stuxnet and Flame, the report confirming classified U.S. intelligence activities could stoke further outrage in Congress about a recent spate of national security leaks.
The Justice Department is currently investigating the recent leaks, including the Stuxnet report, but Republicans have called for a special counsel to conduct an independent investigation. Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) has accused the White House of using the national security leaks to boost the president’s image, a charge the administration has denied.
The Post story on Flame relies on current and former “Western officials,” including ones from the United States, but it does not specifically mention Obama administration or White House officials.
