Nation state malware is a term used to describe malicious software that is created, sponsored, or used by a government or a state-sponsored entity. Nation state malware is typically designed to achieve strategic, political, or military goals, such as espionage, sabotage, disruption, or influence operations.
One of the most famous examples of nation state malware is Stuxnet, a worm that was discovered in 2010 and is widely believed to have been developed by the US and Israel to target Iran’s nuclear program. Stuxnet exploited four zero-day vulnerabilities (out of 20 included in the malware) and used sophisticated techniques to infect, spread, and manipulate industrial control systems that operated uranium enrichment centrifuges. Stuxnet reportedly damaged about 1,000 centrifuges and set back Iran’s nuclear ambitions by several years.
Stuxnet was considered a game-changer in cyberwarfare, as it demonstrated that a nation state could use malware to cause physical damage to another country’s critical infrastructure. It also sparked a wave of copycat attacks and inspired other nation states to develop their own offensive cyber capabilities.
Since Stuxnet, several other nation state malware campaigns have been uncovered by security researchers, such as:
- PlugX: A remote access tool (RAT) that has been used by Chinese hackers since 2012 to target military, government, and political entities in the US and other countries. PlugX can steal data, execute commands, and install other malware on compromised systems.
- Flame: A complex spyware that was discovered in 2012 and is believed to have been created by the same authors as Stuxnet. Flame can record audio, screenshots, keystrokes, network traffic, and other information from infected computers. Flame mainly targeted Middle Eastern countries, especially Iran.
- DarkHotel: A cyber espionage group that has been active since 2007 and is suspected to be linked to South Korea. DarkHotel targets high-profile individuals such as diplomats, executives, and journalists who use hotel Wi-Fi networks. DarkHotel can deliver malware, steal credentials, and spy on victims’ online activities.
- BlackEnergy: A malware toolkit that was originally used for cybercrime but later evolved into a weapon for cyberwarfare. BlackEnergy has been attributed to Russian hackers and has been used to launch distributed denial-of-service (DDoS) attacks, destroy data, and disrupt power grids in Ukraine and other countries.
- WannaCry: A ransomware worm that spread rapidly in 2017 and infected more than 200,000 computers in 150 countries. WannaCry encrypted files and demanded payment for their decryption. WannaCry was based on a leaked exploit from the NSA called EternalBlue and is believed to have been developed by North Korea.
Nation state malware poses a serious threat to global security and stability, as it can cause significant damage, disruption, and distrust among nations. Nation state malware also challenges the norms and laws of cyberspace, as it blurs the lines between war and peace, offense and defense, attribution and deterrence. Nation state malware requires coordinated responses from governments, international organizations, private sector, and civil society to prevent escalation and promote cooperation.