Lebanese banks have upgraded their software security systems to block any virus designed to spy on transactions and operations, the Central Bank and IT experts said. “When the news of the [Gauss] virus broke in the media, the Central Bank called on commercial banks to take the necessary measure [to protect the computer systems],” Ali Nahleh, the head of the IT department at the Central Bank, told The Daily Star.
He said the countermeasures were swiftly implemented. “The new virus is definitely not stupid but nevertheless Lebanese banks have the means to counter such a virus,” he added.
The Gauss virus was first discovered by Kaspersky Lab, a leading computer security firm. The cyber surveillance virus was apparently designed to target Lebanese and Arab bank accounts, as well as email and social networking activity.
Gauss may also be capable of attacking critical infrastructure, and was built in the same laboratories as Stuxnet, the computer worm widely believed to have been used by the United States and Israel to attack software for Iran’s nuclear program, Kaspersky Lab said.
The Lebanese media’s reports on the “Gauss” virus had helped in raising awareness and prompted local banks to upgrade their systems
Nahleh said the Lebanese media’s reports on the “Gauss” virus had helped in raising awareness and prompted local banks to upgrade their systems to confront any threat.
“The anti-virus program blocks all known viruses and this has been going on for a long time. But the Gauss virus did not have time to inflict harm on the systems,” Nahleh said.
Nahleh declined to explicitly say which country might be behind the development of such viruses.
The Daily Star
14 September