2012-01-01
Abstract
Japanese government to use virus for defensive purposes.
Copyright © 2012 Virus Bulletin
Tech firm Fujitsu has reportedly been commissioned by the Japanese government to develop malware that will track, identify and disable the sources of cyber attacks.
According to The Daily Yomiuri, a three-year project was launched in 2008 to develop the ‘cyber weapon’ as well as to research and test security tools and network monitoring equipment. The newspaper reports that the new virus – which has undergone testing in a closed network environment – can identify not only the immediate source of attack, but also all ‘springboard’ computers used in the attack, and that it also has the ability to disable the malicious program and harvest relevant information.
According to officials, the Defense Ministry intends to use the virus for defensive purposes, such as identifying intrusions and tracing the source of attacks against Japanese Self-Defense Force systems.
The development of malware tools for beneficial purposes has long been a controversial topic within the anti-malware industry, there being immense scope for problems – whether due to countermeasures developed by the attackers, or the possibility of the tool falling into the wrong hands. However, several governments (including France and Germany) are already believed to be using specially developed spyware tools to assist in tracking criminals and terrorists, while cyber weapons are said to be in use in countries including the United States and China.
