Alexander Gostev

Snack Attack: Analyzing Flame’s Replication Pattern

By Alexander GostevThe Flame malware uses several methods to replicate itself. The most interesting one is the use of the Microsoft Windows Update service. This is implemented in Flame’s “SNACK”, “MUNCH” and “GADGET” modules. Being parts of Flame, these modules are easily reconfigurable. The behavior of these modules is controlled by Flame’s global registry, the database that contains thousands of configuration options.

The Mystery of Duqu

By Alex GostevFirst of all, we feel it necessary to clarify some of the confusion surrounding the files and their names related to this incident. To get a full understanding of the situation you only need to know that we’re talking about just two malicious programs here (at a minimum) – the main module and a keylogger. All that has been mentioned in last 24 hours about connections between Duqu and Stuxnet is related mostly to the first one – the main module.


By Aleks GostevMe and Slammer (Helkern) go back a long way… to 25 January 2003 to be precise. It was a baptism of fire for me in my new role as a virus analyst at Kaspersky Lab. It was a weekend and I was alone, in charge of monitoring the incoming flow of suspicious files. I had barely been at the company a month.