Azerbaijan, Baku, May 30 / Trend S.Isayev, T. Jafarov/
Iran has dismissed the claim of the Kaspersky Lab security company that the super-virus named "Flame" has been revealed and neutralized by it, IRNA reported.
Deputy Head of Iran's Ministry of Information and Communication Technology Ali Hakim Javadi said the virus was discovered by Iran's Maher Computer Emergency Response Team Coordination Center.
The data-stealing virus dubbed "Flame" has reportedly lurked inside thousands of computers across the Middle East for as long as five years as part of a sophisticated cyber warfare campaign, according to Reuters.
Kaspersky Lab experts said "Flame" is the most complex piece of malicious software discovered to date.
Ali Hakim Javadi said it was Maher security center which first discovered the virus, and soon created an anti-virus software for it.
The "Flame" virus contains about 20 times as much code as Stuxnet, which attacked an Iranian uranium enrichment facility, causing centrifuges to fail. It has about 100 times as much code as a typical virus designed to steal financial information, Schouwenberg said.
Flame can gather data files, remotely change settings on computers, turn on PC microphones to record conversations, take screen shots and log instant messaging chats.