Flame has recently been discovered as the most notorious malware that we have known so far. Security firms around the world are warning organizations against the capabilities of flame, which is quite probably a government-sponsored malware. Now, Symantec has chipped in with its bit of analysis of this malware.

Flame is known to have the most complex and superior functionality than any other known virus or malware. It can record keystrokes, capture screenshots as well as audio conversations made from a computer.

It was confirmed earlier that Flame has the most advanced capability to steal data from a machine. It has now been found that the virus can also delete files from a computer, thus causing an even greater damage. According to a Symantec researcher, Vikram Thakur, Flame has the capabilities of disrupting the functioning of critical software, such as the operating system. This will essentially crash a system.

According to Thakur, “These guys have the capability to delete everything on the computer. This is not something that is theoretical. It is absolutely there.”

Multiple sources have cited that Flame has been used to target Iranian facilities and that the malware is probably a product of U.S.-Israel collaboration. It makes sense since Flame can delete and steal files and that seems the primary target of Iran’s opponents – to lay their hands on Iran’s nuclear program and know everything about it.

Nonetheless, we can expect that the actual creators of this virus would not be caught or brought to justice, for obvious reasons. Meanwhile, the virus has put millions of machines around the world at risk.

Source: Symantec

Courtesy: CNET