A vast cybersecurity operation to eradicate spyware that has silently contaminated several million computers worldwide is underway, the Paris prosecutor’s office announced on Thursday, July 25. This major computer cleanup is being carried out in particular to secure the digital systems used during the Paris Olympic Games.
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State-designed spyware is a ticking time bomb. It replicates and spreads automatically like a biological virus to infect computers. It then forms a network of millions of machines called zombies, says François Deruty, director of operations at French cybersecurity company Sekoia, which is behind the vast ” disinfection operation ” in the world, of spyware created by the China.
” This is a malicious code that has been used for many years by the Chinese state, which allows spying on a computer. This code is called zombie because it lives autonomously and spreads automatically, especially via USB sticks, he specifiesMost of the victims are in countries other than Europe, particularly in Africa and India, even if this code is no longer necessarily used by states for espionage purposes. »
These malware programs that can steal confidential data are also used to prepare sophisticated cyberattacks by indicating to hackers the security flaws in digital systems.
A threat taken very seriously by the experts responsible for the cybersecurity of the Olympic Games who have not, for the moment, observed any anomalies on the devices of the Paris Games.
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