The virus Regin has been described as one of the most sophisticated examples of malware ever encountered by anti-virus company Symantec – and it suspects that has been written by a Government. Experts have said that the virus has been spying on companies, individuals and governments for as long as six years.
The virus has apparently helped cybercriminals to obtain passwords, deleted files and screenshots. Countries being targeted the most by the virus reportedly include Saudi Arabia and Russia. Symantec suggest that virus writers will have worked in it for a number of months or even years, with extra efforts being made to stop investigators unearth its source. The malware has been detected in various countries including Mexico, Iran and India, though it hasn’t affected anyone in the US according to reports.
Comparisons have been drawn between Regin and the Stuxnet worm, which was apparently used by US and Israeli authorities hoping to spy on people associated with Iran and their nuclear program. Regin targets computers using Microsoft Windows and has been said to employ “customized spying”, having been designed to fit long-term mass surveillance campaigns.
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