Pierluigi Paganini December 19, 2011

Duqu, a name that we are reading since several months and with whom we have called a malware that scares the scientific community for some features we will shortly describe. I wrote a lot in this blog about Duqu and on more than one occasion we have raised doubts about the genesis of the agent.
Of course, we have established a relationship with the nefarious Stuxnet, a true example of cyber weapon with which they were infected control systems of nuclear power plants in Iran. As previously stated Duqu has some interesting features such as:

• Modularity of its structure.
• In isolated instances of the malware, unlike Stuxnet, it would not seem to be equipped with modules for SCADA systems attack. It is only able to steal information from the host system.
• The malware, as Stuxnet has characteristics that demonstrate innovative techniques behind its development. We suppose that a team of specialists with high technical skills has been engaged to project the most innovative cyber weapon.

The date reported are staggering and are proof of how offensive is the threat made by Duqu. But a few thoughts I think are dutiful in conclusion of this post:

• In light of the above costs is essential, as well as an adequate cyber strategy, to introduce in the design phase of infrastructure the concept of cyber security.
• The costs assumed by Pike Research concerning the implementation of security systems to protect our plants from the threats discussed … what would happen to the budget spending if new and more advanced cyber weapon were widespread?
• Finally, a consideration of purely economic character. In the analysis I have proposed some time ago on the cost of production of malware, we estimated a cost of tens of millions of dollars. In view of achievable goals with these weapons and the damage we can produce using them we can be sure that in the near future their use would be more frequent … are we ready for this eventuality? And even if our governments are developing them, how much it would cost to society if the same weapons end up in wrong hands?

this is only a battle of a long war.

Pierluigi Paganini

(Security Affairs – Duqu, Cyber weapon)

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References

http://securityaffairs.co/wordpress/782/cyber-crime/duqu-the-worst-may-still-have-to-come-for-critical-infrastructures.html