“Complex
malware known as Regin is the suspected technology behind
sophisticated cyberattacks conducted by U.S. and British intelligence
agencies on the European Union and a Belgian telecommunications
company, according to security industry sources and technical
analysis conducted by The Intercept.”
“Regin
was found on infected internal computer systems and email servers at
Belgacom, a partly state-owned Belgian phone and internet provider,
following reports last year that the company was targeted in a
top-secret surveillance operation carried out by British spy agency
Government Communications Headquarters, industry sources told The
Intercept.”
“The
malware, which steals data from infected systems and disguises itself
as legitimate Microsoft software, has also been identified on the
same European Union computer systems that were targeted for
surveillance by the National Security Agency.”
“The
hacking operations against Belgacom and the European Union were first
revealed last year through documents leaked by NSA whistleblower
Edward Snowden. The specific malware used in the attacks has never
been disclosed, however.”
“Ronald
Prins, a security expert whose company Fox IT was hired to remove
the malware from Belgacom’s networks, told The Intercept that it
was 'the most sophisticated malware' he had ever studied.”
“In a
hacking mission codenamed Operation Socialist, GCHQ gained access
to Belgacom’s internal systems in 2010 by targeting engineers at
the company. The agency secretly installed so-called malware
'implants' on the employees’ computers by sending their internet
connection to a fake LinkedIn page. The malicious LinkedIn page
launched a malware attack, infecting the employees’ computers and
giving the spies total control of their systems, allowing GCHQ to get
deep inside Belgacom’s networks to steal data.”
“The
implants allowed GCHQ to conduct surveillance of internal Belgacom
company communications and gave British spies the ability to gather
data from the company’s network and customers, which include the
European Commission, the European Parliament, and the European
Council.”
“Based
on an analysis of the malware samples, Regin appears to have been
developed over the course of more than a decade; The Intercept has
identified traces of its components dating back as far as 2003. Regin
was mentioned at a recent Hack.lu conference in Luxembourg, and
Symantec’s report on Sunday said the firm had identified Regin on
infected systems operated by private companies, government entities,
and research institutes in countries such as Russia, Saudi Arabia,
Mexico, Ireland, Belgium, and Iran.”
“Der
Spiegel reported that, according to Snowden documents, the
computer networks of the European Union were infiltrated by the NSA
in the months before the first discovery of Regin.”
Further
info and detailed analysis of the malware:
Related:
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A second consequence for the US
deep state would be the loss of Europe in the new Cold War. Except
from Britons, who have traditional deep ties and common interests
with the US, the rest of Europe could slip to the Sino-Russian
bloc which grows rapidly in the military and economic field and
increasingly gaining independence from the Western economic
system, attracting other countries too.
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