China said that it has discovered a cyber espionage tool used by the US National Security Agency (NSA), Chinese newspaper Global Times reported citing a report by the country's state-run National Computer Virus Emergency Response Center.
According to the newspaper, the tool is capable of lurking in a victim's computer to access sensitive information and was found to have controlled global internet equipment and stole large amounts of users' information.
The NOPEN Trojan is a remote control tool for Unix/Linux operating systems primarily used for stealing files, gaining access to computers, redirecting network communications, and viewing information on a targeted device, according to the report.
The NSA used the Trojan to control a large number of internet devices worldwide, steal sensitive data and classified information, resulting in invaluable losses, the report added, citing internal NSA documents made public by the hacker group Shadow Brokers.
"The vast majority of the NSA's arsenal consists of stealth fighters and submarines that can easily attack victims without their knowledge," an anonymous expert said.
He noted that the NOPEN Trojan is one of the key tools in the NSA's cyberwarefare, stressing that the leakage and proliferation of this tool may exacerbate an increasingly severe network security situation, threatening the overall security of cyberspace.
( With inputs from ANI )
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