A computer virus Duqu has not affected Azerbaijan's industrial facilities, Alexander Yakunin, Symantec Company Sales Director in Kazakhstan, Central Asia and South Caucasus told on Saturday. According to Yakunin, the virus was discovered in September, and the first data on the technical principles of its action and how to deal with it was received a week later.
"It became known that it penetrates through the Word-files. Microsoft has corrected this vulnerability today. It also turned out that the virus is valid for a limited period of time and deletes itself after 36 days without leaving any traces.
The data that Duqu collects are sent in jpeg-files with size of 10x10 cm, but it failed to open code," Yakunin said. Attacks are becoming more precise and targeted at the present, and, according to Yakunin, it's not just the work of ordinary hackers, special teams are involved in this process.
Only the cost of the Stuxnet virus is estimated at two million dollars. Yakunin said neither antivirus, nor any other perimeter technology can ensure protection against these threats, since they work on the known base. No one knows about the similar virus.
"A need for ensuring information security increases in Azerbaijan in parallel with increase in introducing IT in Azerbaijan. It occurs at the level of strategic understanding that ensuring security is not only in the presence of antivirus. It is important to introduce information security systems.
Azerbaijani government websites have been attacked recently. It is clear that they have anti-viruses. But today's realities allow us to say that cyberwar is underway, which should be confronted professionally. There is a growing need in professionally designed systems, both around the world and in Azerbaijan," Yakunin said.
He said Symantec Company has a global system Symantec Global Intelligence, which uses about 140,000 sensors around the world and which provides information about how and where the attacks begin, and how dangerous they are. Responding occurs in real time.
"There are enterprises that are connected to this network in Azerbaijan. Using Symantec products, they get the data that allows them to respond to attacks in advance. Perhaps the attack will not reach Azerbaijan, but it is necessary to take action beforehand and be ready for it," Yakunin said.