The US Justice Division (DoJ), and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) has revealed they collectively took down a community of compromised computer systems used to steal delicate knowledge from NATO by a recognized Russian state-sponsored actor for nearly 20 years. 

In a press launch (opens in new tab), the companies outlined their work, codenamed MEDUSA, approved by the courtroom, to disrupt a “world peer-to-peer community” of computer systems contaminated by Snake.

Snake is an 18-year-old piece of malware, constructed and maintained by a unit inside Middle 16 of the Federal Safety Service of the Russian Federation (FSB) – also referred to as Turla. 

Focusing on NATO allies

Turla has been utilizing Snake, the doc states, to steal delicate paperwork from “a whole lot of laptop techniques” belonging to governments, journalists, and different targets. The endpoints (opens in new tab) had been positioned “in not less than 50 nations”, a few of that are additionally members of the North Atlantic Treaty Group (NATO). 

After stealing the recordsdata, Turla would exfiltrate them via a “covert community of unwitting Snake-compromised computer systems” within the US and elsewhere. 

To take down Snake, the legislation enforcement brokers obtained a pattern of the malware, and used it to create a device named PERSEUS. 

This device issued a command that brought on Snake to overwrite its personal very important elements. It basically self-destructed, with out affecting some other software program, or {hardware}, elements, of the compromised endpoints. 

“The Justice Division, along with our worldwide companions, has dismantled a world community of malware-infected computer systems that the Russian authorities has used for practically twenty years to conduct cyber-espionage, together with towards our NATO allies,” stated Legal professional Basic Merrick B. Garland. “We are going to proceed to strengthen our collective defenses towards the Russian regime’s destabilizing efforts to undermine the safety of the USA and our allies.”

Deputy Legal professional Basic Lisa O. Monaco described Snake as “considered one of Russia’s most subtle cyber-espionage instruments.”

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