Israeli Vice PM imply connection to cyber virus attacking Iran: local media

Jerusalem, May 29 (Xinhua-ANI): Commenting on a just-revealed virus that has targeted computers in Iran, Israeli Vice Prime Minister Moshe Ya'alon said on Tuesday that his country is capable of employing cyber warfare means against Iran.

"Anyone who sees the Iranian threat as a significant threat - it's reasonable (to assume) that he will take various steps, including these, to harm it," Ya'alon said, according to the Ha' aretz daily.

He further added that "Israel was blessed as being a country rich with high-tech, these tools that we take pride in open up all kinds of opportunities for us."

Internet security service provider Kaspersky on Monday announced the discovery of a serious cyber threat. The malicious program, named Flame, is being used as a cyber weapon attacking several countries, according to the company. Iran is among the countries that have been affected.

Flame "is designed to carry out cyber espionage. It can steal valuable information, including but not limited to computer display contents, information about targeted systems, stored files, contact data and even audio conversations," read a press release from Kaspersky, "The complexity and functionality of the newly discovered malicious program exceed those of all other cyber menaces known to date."

In the statement, Kaspersky said that Flame shared some features with Stuxnet, like same printer vulnerability and USB infection method.

Iran announced in October 2010 that it had detected and thwarted the Stuxnet virus aimed at infecting the country's nuclear plant system.

According to Iranian intelligence service, Stuxnet had infected 30,000 IP addresses in Iran, including personal computers of the staff at the country's first nuclear power plant, Bushehr. Tehran also claimed that Israel was behind the infection of its industrial sites. (Xinhua-ANI)