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Sophisticated malware Regin probably used by US and UK spy agencies

Sophisticated malware Regin probably used by US and UK spy agencies
Jonathan Riggall

Jonathan Riggall

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As we reported yesterday, Symantec uncovered one of the most complex and sophisticated pieces of spyware ever this weekend, called Regin. Now, it appears that it was this software that was used to infect networks of the European Union, most likely by the NSA (American National Security Agency).

In a further discovery, it seems that Regin might even date back as far as 2003, although malware bearing that name wasn’t discovered until 2011. Of course, neither the US’s NSA nor the British GCHQ will confirm (or deny) having used or being the authors of this spyware, but a report in The Intercept has collected a lot of evidence that points in this direction.

A former NSA hacker, Jim Penrose speaking at the Cyber Security Summit in New York, suggested that most computer users should not be directly worried or threatened by this type of spyware. According to Penrose, just like criminals, governments will only use their best tools against the most valuable and important targets. If you’re doing something that governments would be very interested in, then it’s more likely you might be targeted. Most people will not, although they might justifiably be concerned that their governments possessed technology that could so easily spy on its citizens.

Sources: ZDNet, The Intercept, The Guardian

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Jonathan Riggall

Jonathan Riggall

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