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‘Flame’ malware burns through cyberspace

The newly identified spyware is the latest state-sponsored cyber threat in the Middle East. But Flame could work its way into businesses.

Stacey Vanek Smith: As you may have heard, there’s a newly identified cyber-menace on the loose. The malware called Flame can basically spy on everything a computer user is doing. Right now, it appears confined to state-sponsored espionage in the Middle East.

But as Queena Kim reports, cyber security threats always trickle down to business.


Queena Kim: Flame can steal documents, takes screenshots and lift data from cellphones that use bluetooth. It’s the mobile part that businesses should be especially concerned about, says Harry Sverdlove He’s the chief technology officer at cybersecurity company Bit9.

Harry Sverdlove: You have to now think of about all of your employees as potentially bugged employees.

Sverdlove says companies have focused on protecting computers, but are now realizing they’re also at risk in the mobile world.

Sverdlove: When threats like this occur and business is good.

And it may get better. Gary McGraw is the Chief Technology Officer with the cyber-security company Cigital.

Gary McGraw: Now that this attack has been identified, people are going to copy it.

And people like McGraw will make it their business to try and stop it.

In San Francisco, I’m Queena Kim for Marketplace.

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