Like most people, I check my e-mails in the morning, wading through a combination of work requests, spam and news alerts peppering my inbox.
But Wednesday brought something different and deeply disturbing. I noticed an alert from the American Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) about some very devious malware that had infected a network of computers.
The malware in question is Snake, a cyber espionage tool deployed by Russia’s Federal Security Service that has been around for about 20 years.
According to CISA, the Snake implant is the “most sophisticated cyber espionage tool designed and used by Centre 16 of Russia’s Federal Security Service for long-term intelligence collection on sensitive targets”.
Stealthy Snake
The Russian Federal Security Service developed the Snake network in 2003 to conduct global cyber espionage operations against the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (Nato), companies, research institutions, media organisations, financial services, government agencies and more.
So far, it has been detected on Windows, Linux and Mac OS computers in more than 50 countries, including Australia.
Elite Russian cyber espionage teams put the malware on a target’s computer, copy sensitive information of interest, and then send it to Russia. It’s a simple concept, cloaked in masterful technical design.
Since its creation, Russian cyber spies have regularly upgraded the Snake malware to avoid detection. The current version is cunning in how it persistently evades detection and protects itself.
Moreover, the Snake network can disrupt critical industrial control systems that manage our buildings, hospitals, energy systems, water and wastewater systems, among others – so the risks went beyond just intelligence collection.
There are warnings that in a couple of years, bad actors may gain the capability to hijack critical Australian inf ..
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