Mystery Trojan found in Space

A mystery malware is brought into space by scientists that infected the International Space Station is identified as a gaming Trojan.

The infection happened five years ago in 2008 and was launched back into the news last week due to a speech by Eugene Kaspersky, the head honcho of Russian antivirus firm Kaspersky Lab.

Kaspersky said that the malware was in Windows machines used by scientists on the International Space Station.

Virus’ and Trojans’ on computers on the platform are proving the malware pathogens have hitched a ride on the removable media carried up to the space station by astronauts.

Kaspersky said: “Scientists, from time to time, they are coming to space with USBs which are infected. I’m not kidding. I was talking to a Russian space guys and they said from time to time there are virus epidemics in the space station.”

Scientists have identified the malware as Gammima-AG, a Trojan designed to steal passwords for online gaming.  This situation shows just how USB sticks can easily spread digital diseases.

 

Stuxnet

Stuxnet is the worm that infected computers connected to SCADA, Iran’s uranium enrichment facility at Natanx in 2009-2010.

Stuxnet was developed as part of a US-Israeli information warfare effort, codenamed Operation Olympic Games, that started under the presidency of George W Bush.





The worm escaped onto the internet and revealed that it spread across Windows systems.  The malware destroyed operations of industrial control systems from Siemens.

It was activated when the kit was being used to control high-speed equipment such as Iran’s nuke purifying centrifuges.

Kaspersky did not say the Stuxnet infected the ISS, he did say the space station has a SCADA system but it is controlled by the Linux-based systems.

Below is the taping of the Eugene Kaspersky at the Press Club in Canberra, Australia.  The malware, widely considered to have been developed by the US Government as a means to disrupt Iran’s nuclear enrichment plans.  A physically separated ‘air-gapped’ network in the Russian plant after it was carried across on a USB device.




This shows how easily computers can be infected by malware. Even NASA is infecting computers out in space. Next time you let a friend use your computer, you might want to think twice about letting them plug anything into it.

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References:

The TRUTH about mystery Trojan found in SPAAACE – The Register
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2013/11/13/space_station_malware_not_stuxnet/