Japan Fights Virus With Virus

 

The Japanese government is developing a computer virus to track down the source of a cyber-attack and neutralize it, underscoring the seriousness of the threat.

According to a report from The Times of India, software company Fujitsu is reportedly developing the “electronic weapon,” a process that has taken three years and $2.3 million, to combat Internet-based threats. The virus works by monitoring for attacks, identifying the source, and closing it down to prevent further programs.
The Japanese Parliament as well as several embassies, consulates and local government systems were targeted by hackers in the past several months.
Japan’s approach is a novel one, but the country is not the first to employ new tactics to fight against the persistent breaches, which are ramping up in frequency and size.
This past November, computers belonging to at least 48 chemical and defense companies were infected with malicious software known as PoisonIvy, which thieves use to steal information like design documents, formulas, and manufacturing details.
The Symantec security firm discovered the attack, dubbed “Nitro,” but didn’t name the companies affected, describing them as multiple Fortune 100 corporations that develop compounds and advanced materials used in military vehicles.
Security experts agree the Nitro campaign is the latest in a string of cyber-attacks that are likely the work of government-backed hackers, and may reinforce the notion that cyber-terrorism is emerging as the future of international conflict.
Security officials are battling several attacks on all fronts. For example, officials worry the Stuxnet virus, famous for crippling Iran’s nuclear system by attacking the software used to manage its nuclear power generators, may mutate and pose a threat elsewhere.
In addition to Stuxnet, security experts and lawmakers are gaining greater understanding of Operation Shady RAT, the world’s most massive recorded cyber breach, a five-year operation whose existence officials discovered only months ago.
Operation Shady RAT touched everything from the United Nations to governments, and even insurance firms in the U.S., Taiwan, Vietnam, India and several European nations, serving as a serious wake-up call to the damage these often undetected breaches can wreak.
Security firm McAfee uncovered the widespread yet seemingly coordinated Shady RAT attacks, which like the others, appear to be the work of a nation-state, focusing on political and military matters.
One hiccup in Japan’s proactive virus plan is the country’s law, which forbids the manufacture of a computer virus, but experts believe that provision will be changed before the national security program has completed testing and is ready for use.
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