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U.S. and Israel behind ‘Flame’ Virus

By William Tucker

In yet another apparent leak to emanate from the U.S. intelligence community, the Washington Post is reporting that the U.S. and Israel jointly developed the so-called Flame virus that was recently discovered in Iran. The virus was discovered in Iran just last month after it had wreaked havoc with the computer network belonging to the Oil Ministry, although the Post report claims the software was developed five years ago. Unlike other viruses that have struck Iranian infrastructure recently, the Flame virus, or more accurately malware, was designed almost as a self contained broad based intelligence collection effort. What this means is the computer systems that were affected by Flame were also used to capture activities that were occurring in the vicinity of an infected computer. Essentially, the software could activate cameras and microphones to capture conversations. This information was then sent off to a medium that would have been accessible by the software’s creator.

If this was indeed a joint U.S. – Israeli effort, and the presence of Stuxnet code in Flame is a strong indicator that it is, then it is likely that both nations feel comfortable enough to rely on the covert option as opposed to any conventional military option. At least for now, that is. Covert activity, using any of several methods, can have a large impact on Iran’s nuclear program; however, like the conventional option, it has drawbacks. The very presence of this recent leak is a case in point. By offering even circumstantial evidence that the U.S. or Israel was involved in the creation and direction of Flame, any retaliatory action by Iran could become more likely as they see a need to respond. The government in Tehran must still placate its public by showing that it isn’t sitting back while the nation is attack by two adversaries it has decried over the three decades. Furthermore, the continued push for diplomacy, or further sanctions, could be impacted by this leak. Continued acknowledgement of covert operations undermines their viability and makes future operations far more difficult.

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