We already suspected this to be the case, and now the Washington Post has confirmation from unnamed officials that yes, the U.S. was behind the Flame virus infecting computers across the Middle East, as part of a campaign to slow the development of Iran’s nuclear weapons program. In other news, America’s cyber weapons program apparently has more leaks than a watering can.
The Post reports:
The massive piece of malware was designed to secretly map Iran’s computer networks and monitor the computers of Iranian officials, sending back a steady stream of intelligence used to enable an ongoing cyberwarfare campaign, according to the officials.
According to the Post‘s sources, the NSA, CIA, and Israeli military were all involved.
If Flame starts your conspiracy engines, it’s worth noting that cyber-spying has only gotten more sophisticated since the virus was created five years ago. As one “former high-ranking U.S. intelligence official” told the paper, “Cyber collection against the Iranian program is way further down the road than this.” So stay tuned.
Meanwhile, back on American soil, the NSA has no intention of admitting whether it’s spied on you.