Report: Israeli Spy Virus Used to Infiltrate Iran Negotiations at European Hotels
by Eliezer Sherman
A computer virus attributed to Israeli spies attacked three luxury hotels in Europe as they hosted high-level negotiations over Iran’s nuclear program, the Wall Street Journal reported on Tuesday.
A report by Kaspersky Lab ZAO reviewed by WSJ and cyber experts revealed the virus to be called Duqu, which experts believe was created to carry out some of Israel’s most secret intelligence gathering, according to the report.
The Moscow-based firm said it would publicly disclose the details of its findings on Wednesday.
The report marks the second time WSJ has revealed Israeli spy efforts targeting international negotiations to curtail Iran’s nuclear program.
It is also not the first time Israel used its cyber capabilities on Iran. Israel was reportedly involved in the Stuxnet attack against the Natanz nuclear facility in 2010.
Israel has openly been deeply involved in developing cyber warfare, both defensive and offensive, for many years.
In 2012, then defense minister Ehud Barak said Israel sought a “proactive” cyber warfare strategy.