Flame virus detected in oil-rich states' computers

Flame, the sophisticated internet virus able to spy on computer files, listen in on Skype conversations and take photos without the computer's user being aware of it, has been found even in some of the Gulf region's oil-rich countries, reports the UAE daily The National. Drawing a map of where the virus has been detected in the region is a study by Kaspersky Lab, the antivirus company which found it for the first time in Iran, and which has detected 11 ''infections'' in Saudi Arabia, two in the United Arab Emirates and Qatar and one in Bahrain. There are over 500 infections not yet verified in the world, with at least 198 computers attacked in the Islamic Republic of Iran and 98 in the Palestinian Territories. Stefan Tanase, one of Kaspersky Lab's top researchers, told the paper that Flame is a sort of spy kit which has ''special interest'' in AutoCad programmes used by engineers for industrial projects, from power stations to oil rigs. ''If I were working in the energy sector,'' Tanase said, ''I would be worried.'' (ANSAmed)