US makes breakthrough in spying technique

The U.S. National Security Agency (NSA), the notorious eavesdropper, has made a breakthrough in spying technique by embedding surveillance software in hard drives made by top manufactures, according to Kaspersky Lab, the Moscow-based security software maker.

In a presentation unveiling a series of spying programs at a conference in Mexico on Monday, Kaspersky linked the techniques to Stuxnet, the NSA-led computer worm that disabled about 1,000 centrifuges in Iran's uranium enrichment program.

The spying programs, aimed at government and military institutions, telecommunication companies, banks, energy companies, and media among others, have infected computers in 30 countries, Kaspersky said, listing such victims as Iran, Russia, Pakistan, Afghanistan, China, Mali, Syria, Yemen and Algeria.

According to Kaspersky, in the long-sought and closely-guarded technique, the implants, burrowing so deep into the computer system, infect the "firmware," the embedded software that preps the computer's hardware before the operating system starts.

It is virtually impossible to wipe them out with existing anti-virus products, Kaspersky said.

The latest findings could further hurt the United State's credibility in terms of guarding cyber security, already affected by leaks by fugitive U.S. whistleblower Edward Snowden.

The exposure could also affect the sales of U.S. technology products abroad and further hurt its relations with some allies.

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