North Korean Antivirus Software Uses Decade Old Pirated Scan Engine (betanews.com) 68
With a name like 'SiliVaccine' you could be forgiven it's something your doctor would give you if you were worried about turning into a clown. But in fact this is North Korea's home grown antivirus product. From a report: Check Point Software has obtained and analyzed a rare copy of the software and discovered key components of its source code to be identical to a 10-year old copy of Trend Micro's AV software. Analysis has also uncovered that SiliVaccine is designed to allow a specific malware signature to pass undetected to users, and an update patch for the software contained JAKU malware, which has been used to target and track specific individuals in South Korea and Japan. Check Point believes this could have been used to target journalists who write about North Korean affairs.
When it finds a virus (Score:3)
It displays a pop-up stating "You ARRRRGH infected, matey"
Re: (Score:1)
Why should they be worried about malware? (Score:1)
New Technology (Score:2)
They needed software that would run on their "new" upgraded computers using Windows XP. It's a huge step forward from DOS where they could not get rid of the crazy Ping-Pong virus...
Re: (Score:2)
Many years ago there was an email attachment called "Australia.exe" that got your computer ready for travelling south of the Equator by turning the screen upside-down. It got picked up by a friends virus scanner as malware, so it was removed.
Some years later, that same thing was introduced into Windows 7 (Ctrl + Alt + down arrow).
We can only assume that NK is trying to keep up with the US by incorporating viruses into the OS itself. I'd expect this "Australia" thing to show up in the next 5-10 years.
Re: (Score:2, Informative)
The Ctrl-Alt-DownArrow thing is a function of Intel video drivers, not something Windows 7 brought to the table.
Outside NK (Score:4)
the software contained JAKU malware, which has been used to target and track specific individuals in South Korea and Japan. Check Point believes this could have been used to target journalists who write about North Korean affairs.
It took me a minute to parse this. It means, unrelated to this NK AV package, the JAKU malware could have been used in the past to target Japanese and South Korean journalists.
Shoud've just "stolen" an Open-Source AV (Score:1)
https://www.clamav.net/downloads
looks pretty good to me.
But we are always told ... (Score:2)
that NK is the source of a lot of malware. Surely if they had the ability to produce such malware they would also have the ability and motivation to protect their own Windows PCs from malware from other countries -- while white-listing their own malware.
For me this casts doubts on the stories of NK being a major malware source.
Re: (Score:2)
You seem to be illiterate.
Re: (Score:1)
I lean left enough that I've been called socialist, but this is nonsense.
The popular masses have long desired an independent new society in which all of them live well on an equal footing free from exploitation, oppression, domination and subordination.
That you call people 'the masses' gives a pretty clear insight into how you view people; that there's a line and that you're on one side and 'they' are on another.
The 'masses' are people. Some want change, others really don't. Most want to be safe and well fed, free, as you say from exploitation and oppression but while some may certainly wish for equality for all, others are just as keen on being above other people.
Socialism makes it possible to realize such an ideal and capitalism tramples it down.
Like so many things
Better link: (Score:4, Informative)
detailed analysis with real info: SiliVaccine: Inside North Korea’s Anti-Virus [checkpoint.com]
Trump's powers are amazing ... (Score:2)
Re: (Score:1)
Now if only someone could convince the proponents of un-checked Capitalism of the same thing, we'd have common ground.
Communism is broken, but Capitalism is broken too ,, the problem with both is the most broken parts are the things people are most dogmatic about.
Those tend to be the point where their pet theory devolves into magical realism ... which if you keep hoping, going "la la la", and ignore human nature for lo