A new computer virus dubbed "Red October", that targets eastern European countries and appeared to be collecting classified files using Nato and EU encryption has been identified.
The primary focus of the campaign was targeting countries in easternEurope, "former USSR Republics and countries in Central Asia, although victims can be found everywhere, including Western Europe and North America", according to Kaspersky Lab, the maker of antivirus software.
Kaspersky Lab said "there is strong technical evidence to indicate the attackers have Russian-speaking origins."
Red October, which has been active since at least 2007, appears to collect files encrypted with software used by several entities from the European Union to Nato, it added.
Kaspersky said Red October also infected smartphones and collected login information to test on other systems.
Red October, which is named after the Russian submarine featured in the Tom Clancy novel The Hunt For Red October, has what Kaspersky Lab called a unique "resurrection" module that hid in Adobe Reader and Microsoft Office programmes that allowed the attackers to regain access if the virus was discovered and removed.
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