According to the US agency, the Snake malware is the main espionage tool for Russian intelligence agencies.
The US Federal Bureau of Investigation identified and neutralized the Shake malware used for espionage by the Russian Federal Security Service. This was reported by Reuters on May 9.
The ministry noted that the software was used against the computers of American users. The exact number of infected devices was not disclosed.
Washington expects disabling Russian malware to “destroy it from the virtual battlefield”.
“We consider this to be the main espionage tool,” said a US official.
What is known about the Snake software
An official told reporters that behind the Snake malware is the notorious Turla hacking group, one of the most experienced hacking teams studied by the security research community.
“They didn’t attract attention by focusing on privacy and operational security. It’s one of the toughest targets we have,” said John Hultquist, vice president of threat intelligence at cybersecurity firm Mandian.
According to Politico, the FSB used Snake software to steal sensitive information from US and NATO government agencies, defense companies, state departments, the media, and high-tech research centers.
The operation to eliminate the software was called “Medusa”. To detect the malicious element, US intelligence agencies created a unique software “payload”.
“It speaks the Snake language and communicates using Snake’s proprietary protocols,” a senior FBI official said of the development.
Recall that on April 26 it was learned that Ukraine cooperated with the US Federal Bureau of Investigation and American companies to collect evidence of Russian war crimes. We are talking about geolocation and information about mobile phones.
We also wrote earlier that on April 25, the Kremlin forced the “Russian mafia” to pay Russian spies in other countries. Such links have been created for a long time, but are rarely used. Now the Russian authorities need the help of the bandits.
Source: Focus
Ashley Fitzgerald is an accomplished journalist in the field of technology. She currently works as a writer at 24 news breaker. With a deep understanding of the latest technology developments, Ashley’s writing provides readers with insightful analysis and unique perspectives on the industry.