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Mars Rover Code Used For Cyber-Espionage Malware 78

An anonymous reader writes: Two open-source libraries used in the Mars Rover software have been integrated in the source code of a malware family (nicknamed Rover) used as part of a cyber-espionage campaign against the Indian government (Indian Ambassador to Afghanistan). The two libraries are OpenCV and OpenAL, two libraries for processing image and audio information. As such, the Rover malware can take screenshots, record video and audio.
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Mars Rover Code Used For Cyber-Espionage Malware

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  • by Anonymous Coward

    Common software libraries used for malware. News at 11.

  • by Anonymous Coward

    What about glibc? Does code used in my Android phone also used for other horrendous things?

  • by Sowelu ( 713889 ) on Tuesday March 01, 2016 @03:54PM (#51617275)

    because this isn't one.

  • by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday March 01, 2016 @03:54PM (#51617277)

    What sensationalist BS. It's using standard libraries open to anyone, nothing unique to the mars rover.

    Why not say that it links against libc and that it uses "Nuclear Reactor Code!!11!" in its malware.

  • ...this load of crap.

  • by 0100010001010011 ( 652467 ) on Tuesday March 01, 2016 @03:56PM (#51617305)

    The "C" programming language, used in Linux, FreeBSD and Python, has been used to construct ________.

    Really? OpenCV was used for something? I fail to see how this has any connection to the Mars rover.

    • Re: (Score:2, Funny)

      by Anonymous Coward

      Did they use zlib, libxml, and the stdc libraries too?! Next you will be telling me they used a linux kernel. My god our tax dollars are being wasted! WASTED I tell you!

  • by Anonymous Coward

    OpenCV and OpenAL have been used so many places that I don't see how it's topical to mention they were used in the Mars Rover. My phone has probably appeared in plenty of movies but I don't refer to it as "The same phone $ACTOR used in $MOVIE" when talking about its ability to do something technical.

  • by Anonymous Coward

    Better also mention the entire pedigree of all the other software used in it. What about the TCP stack and the university that developed it?

    And in other news:

    Defense network "DARPANET" used to install malware! News at 11!

    • Better also mention the entire pedigree of all the other software used in it. What about the TCP stack and the university that developed it?

      And in other news:

      Defense network "DARPANET" used to install malware! News at 11!

      More like "Hackers using network access code developed for military to compromise systems! News at 10!" (I go to bed early)

  • by Anonymous Coward

    Is this a push to ban open source? If so by whom and why the FUCK is slashdot supporting it?

    FUCK OFF.

    • by NadNad ( 550015 )

      Is this a push to ban open source? If so by whom and why the FUCK is slashdot supporting it?

      FUCK OFF.

      It's the FoodBabification of science.

      We'd better nuke Mars and destroy all the data from and engineering advances that left to the Rover just to be safe.

    • No, this is clearly an effort to ban Mars rovers.
  • by Anonymous Coward

    I don't ordinarily let myself post insults online that could get me in legal trouble. so I have nothing to say.

  • by Knightman ( 142928 ) on Tuesday March 01, 2016 @04:13PM (#51617429)

    ./ is going rapidly downhill with these kind of stories.

    Is Rupert Murdoch a "silent" partner among the new owners??

    • The only reason this story has any legs is that Palo Alto researchers apparently named the malware "Rover" as a cutesy reference to the use of OpenCV and OpenAL. Then Catalin Cimpanu (softpedia.com) picked up the story and the "Rover" connection became clickbait.

    • Oh, come on. Slashdot has been in this degraded state for years. Coming here is just a hard habit to break, and the only way the current staff know to get people involved in conversation is to throw up this sort of BS for people to complain about. Unless the editors are completely lacking in technical knowledge-- clearly the strategy is stir up controversy like this. Hell, the only reason I clicked on the summary, was to be entertained by the snark pointing out the ridiculousness of the article.
  • by jfdavis668 ( 1414919 ) on Tuesday March 01, 2016 @04:14PM (#51617431)
    Next thing you know, the Mars rover will be sending me spam emails. Something about good prices for property with views of Olympus Mons.
  • by alexhs ( 877055 ) on Tuesday March 01, 2016 @04:16PM (#51617447) Homepage Journal

    What are you trying to tell us ?

    That open source software is terrorism, with weapons so advanced that they're also used by federal agencies ?

    Or that these projects' licences should have been GPL, so that it would have prevented the malware authors to spread their software without publishing their source code, and we all would have our personal rovers now thanks to all of that NASA code ?

    • by Anonymous Coward

      What are you trying to tell us ?

      That having a penis makes you a terrible person.

      That open source software is terrorism,

      Straight white guy terrorism at that!

      *cough*

  • by wren337 ( 182018 ) on Tuesday March 01, 2016 @04:17PM (#51617451) Homepage
    And you should feel bad
  • CAL DOWN EVERYONE (Score:2, Informative)

    by Anonymous Coward
    GUYS! GUYS! GUYS!...... GUYS!

    Just avoid any story posted by Timothy. He's known for posting sensationalist bullshit with no content whatsoever. He likes to link to forbes and never spell/grammar checks his submissions. He is the embodiment of exactly how horrible Slashdot has become and will continue to be. If you see a story that was posted by Timothy, just assume its going to be garbage designed to maximize ad revenue.
  • by Wubby ( 56755 ) on Tuesday March 01, 2016 @04:47PM (#51617637) Homepage Journal

    Chemical given to children used to create nuclear bombs!

    H2O, sometimes known as "water", is given to children. It also has uses in industrial factories as a cleanser and is even used as a shielding for nuclear reactors. This chemical, which has been refereed to as the "universal solvent" has been known to be used during the making of nuclear bombs.

    Youths have been spotty spraying each other with this solvents as a game. Film at 11.

  • by Opportunist ( 166417 ) on Tuesday March 01, 2016 @05:05PM (#51617731)

    Or an exercise in "how to turn a non-story into something topical"?

    Fine trolling, I have to give you that. Managed to fool the editors into actually thinking this is a story.

    *golfclap*

  • by wonkey_monkey ( 2592601 ) on Tuesday March 01, 2016 @05:33PM (#51617887) Homepage

    Mars Rover Code Used For Cyber-Espionage Malware

    Hey, whipslash, where are you? This is the kind of shitty misleading click-bait none of us want to see.

  • This is same crap that gave us the 'Subway Bread Uses a Chemical also Found in Yoga Mats!' sensationalism. The fact that open source libraries were used by NASA and Malware peddlers just means open source is a trusted format for developing dependable software, just as non-toxic food additives can have multiple purposes.
  • Just wait till the Martians find about that, NASA you are so busted.
  • "According to Palo Alto Networks, on December 24, 2015, India's Ambassador to Afghanistan received a spear-phishing email that contained a new malware variant" ref [softpedia.com]
  • I'm not saying it was aliens, but...
  • Really Slashdot is doing this shit now?

    Windows 10 CUDE USED TO KILL PEOPLE!

    because io.h and math.h are used in both windows 10 and smartbombs!

  • FTA "Rover is largely undetected by today's antivirus engines"

    Can of worms here but the malware community as a whole is working with others allowing "stuff" to get through.

    Case in point that Microsoft GWZ update of April 4, 2015 KB3035583 (misspelled as CWZ in my journal) sent out 24 hours of a users (your) computer usage. I have that file, my HOST file kept it from leaving for 11 days before I found it. Not one anti-malware program has ever been set-up to catch it, nor scan for it -and you don't want it on

  • Clickbait article uses the exact same words as President Obama!

  • John von Neumann is helping Islamic terrorists from his grave. Our correspondent found out that ISIS has been using von Neumann computers to propagate terrorist propaganda over the Internet. Find out more tonight at 8... In all seriousness, though, I don't think this is Slashdot's fault. They're just reporting the story as is without filtering it, under the assumption that their readers will be able to make out what's happening right from the summary itself.
  • Or, Malware uses Soundblaster code! (OpenAL is Creative's baby after all)

    Though I am glad to hear that it will fully use my DSP hardware. I always want my malware infections to have hardware accelerated 3D positional audio without having to wrap dll's.

E = MC ** 2 +- 3db

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