Baltic States – CIS, EU – Baltic States, Internet, Latvia, Legislation, Technology, Telecomunications

At the moment, CERT.LV continues to analyze the available data to establish all infected institutions.

As reported, an advanced and well-orchestrated computer spy operation that targeted diplomats, governments and research institutions for at least five years has been uncovered by security researchers in Russia.

The highly targeted campaign, which focuses primarily on victims in Eastern Europe and Central Asia based on existing data, is still live, harvesting documents and data from computers, smartphones and removable storage devices, such as USB sticks, according to Kaspersky Lab, the Moscow-based antivirus firm that uncovered the campaign. Kaspersky has dubbed the operation "Red October."

While most of the victims documented are in Eastern Europe or Central Asia, targets have been hit in 69 countries in total, including Australia, Ireland, Switzerland, Belgium, Brazil, Spain, South Africa, Japan, the US and the United Arab Emirates. Kaspersky calls the victims "high profile," but declined to identify them other than to note that they are government agencies and embassies, institutions involved in nuclear and energy research and companies in the oil and gas and aerospace industries.

"The main purpose of the operation appears to be the gathering of classified information and geopolitical intelligence, although it seems that the information-gathering scope is quite wide," Kaspersky notes in a report released January 14. "During the past five years, the attackers collected information from hundreds of high-profile victims, although it is unknown how the information was used."