According to a report by internet security company Kaspersky, the mysterious group, which researchers nicknamed the Equation group, uses malware that’s quiet and powerful.
And in some cases, it planted spyware on computers’ firmware, the programming that lives permanently on hardware. It’s an unheard-of move that means the malware can avoid detection by antivirus software. Reinstalling a computer’s operating system or reformatting the hard disk will not fix the problem.
Kaspersky’s researchers say that the Equation group uses a hacking tool called GROK. That’s a tool used exclusively by the NSA’s cyber-warfare unit, Tailored Access Operations. Kaspersky says the Equation group also appears to have ties to Stuxnet, the computer worm that sabotaged Iran’s nuclear enrichment program in 2010.
The NSA has declined to comment on the Kaspersky report.
Every day we send out a free e-mail with the most important headlines of the last 24 hours.
Subscribe now