McAfee makes startling Shamoon malware revelations and commits more investments

Steve Grobman - CTO McAfee

A few weeks after launching as a standalone company, McAfee LLC, today announced it will increase investments and resources in cyber threat research. And in line with it, McAfee released evidence of a series of Shamoon malware campaigns targeting Saudi Arabia are the work of one coordinated force of attackers, rather than that of multiple independent renegade hacker groups.

Today’s Shamoon disclosure surveys the evolution of Shamoon malware campaigns, from the 2012 attacks on the Middle Eastern energy sector, to the latest cyber espionage campaigns of 2016 and 2017. Furthermore, the findings illustrate the arc of the actor’s development and increased sophistication over the last five years. It is the latest evidence that rogue state and stateless actors are developing cyberwarfare and cyber espionage capabilities without which they would otherwise be unable to gain advantages versus major state actors and their extensive conventional military and surveillance capabilities.

McAfee’s areas of increased focus will include advanced malware, ransomware, financial fraud, general cybercrime, cyber espionage, cyberwarfare, and protection of industrial control systems. Among other contributions, McAfee will provide cyber security professionals the McAfee Threat Landscape Dashboard, an overview of the latest, most significant threats tracked by McAfee researchers.

McAfee will also increase its engagement with law enforcement and academia, including coordinated efforts to take down criminal networks, develop new approaches to fighting cybercrime, and recruit more young people to join the ranks of cybersecurity professionals.

“Campaign investigations complete our triad of research capabilities focused on keeping the digital world safe,” said Steve Grobman, Chief Technology Officer for McAfee LLC. “McAfee is committed to bringing together world-class threat intelligence, vulnerability research, and investigative expertise to provide customers more insights into how specific malicious actors develop and wage cyber-attacks.”

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