Azerbaijan, Baku, May 3 / Trend S.Isayev, T. Jafarov/
Iran has started making its own anti-virus software, Assistant Professor of Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering University of Shiraz, Mohammad Hossein Sheikhi said, ISNA reported.
The software is being developed by Iranian experts from Shiraz Computer Emergency Response Team of APA (Academic Protection and Awareness) of Iran. APA centers started operation in 2007 with the intention of providing service in the fields of network security and network disorders.
Sheikhi said the work on the domestic-made antivirus started in 2010, and since then undergone successful tests.
In 2010, Iran's industrial and nuclear computer systems were attacked by the Stuxnet worm. The worm was a malware designed to infect computers using Siemens Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition (SCADA) - a control system favoured by industries that manage water supplies, oil rigs and power plants.
Since then Iranian officials have stated that the country will be working on strengthening country's online security.
Not long ago, Iran announced that it has prohibited import of foreign computer security software. Iran's Information and Communications Technology Ministry said that Iran will rely on its own software, made by local developers.
According to the Ministry, domestic security programs have been improving, and Iran will use them, instead of foreign security software, which cannot be trusted.
Mohammad Hossein Sheikhi added that the team which has been working on the antivirus project consists of five Electronic and Computer Engineering faculty students, 20 doctoral graduate students, and five students with masters degree in computer engineering.
The work has been financed by Iranian president's special committee on information and communication technologies.
Sheikhi also said that a special virus-analysing lab has been set up, along with a virus database. All of this has been done in Iran for the first time.
Sheikhi underscored that if the product will be successful, its commercial version may get sold publicly at a later stage.