Flame: The Malware

Recently, what has been a hot topic in the news is the infection of computers and computer systems in the Middle East. The damage is being attributed to a new threat that is being called “the most sophisticated cyber weapon,” “the most complex threat,” and “a massive, highly sophisticated piece of malware.”  This new threat is known as “Flame.”

Before taking a look at what experts are saying, the dictionary definition of ‘malware’ is “malicious software that is intended to damage or disable computers and computer systems.”  In essence, there are different types of malware designed for specific purposes; however, in their simplest of forms they are created to do exactly what the dictionary definition provides – disrupt computers.

Wired.com provides the jest of what malware does by providing their early analysis of ‘Flame:’" ...the lab indicates that it’s designed primarily to spy on the users of infected computers and steal data from them, including documents, recorded conversations and keystrokes.  It also opens a back door to infected systems to allow the attacks to tweak the toolkit and add new functionality."

Furthermore, according to NakedSecurity, ‘Flame’ has yet to be dissected to find out the workings of the deeper threats it poses to computer users. NakedScience states that “at its simplest level, Flame isn’t doing anything different from the vast majority of other malware we see on a typical day.”   As a result, they emphasize on the fact that computer users should not be doing anything other than what they usually do on a daily basis to protect themselves.

In essence, computer users should continue to keep their anti-virus and security patches up-to-date.  In addition, as usual – be cautious and fully aware or familiar with the software they install on their computers, the links they click on, the sites they visit, etc.  Based on certain reports, ‘Flame’ can now be detected by anti-virus/ anti-spyware software.