Flame was developed by US and Israel

Earlier this month, unnamed government sources seemingly confirmed that Stuxnet was developed through a joint effort of the US and Israeli government agencies.

Two days prior to that, the existence of the Flame toolkit was revealed to the public, and researchers from many security companies took it upon themselves to discover anything that can be unearthed about it and its developers.

Quite recently, Kaspersky Lab analysts revealed the existence of rather solid proof that the developers of both Stuxnet/Duqu and Flame worked together and exchanged ideas and knowledge at one point it time.

It shouldn’t then come as a surprise to anybody that the US and Israel are behind Flame’s development, as well.

According to a report by The Washington Post, the speculation was confirmed by more unnamed Western officials.

Flame’s main goal was to map and monitor Iran’s computer network, so that when the right time came, the US and Israel could launch effective cyber attacks against the country.

Flame was also allegedly the tool that cleared the path for Stuxnet – by discovering just what kind of equipment Iran was using in its uranium-enrichment plant in Natanz, and making sure that the worm was able to sabotage the functioning of its centrifuges.

Expectedly, no comment about this revelation was to be had from the CIA, the NSA and the Office of the Director of National Intelligence, or the Israeli Embassy in Washington.

But given Flame’s targets, its sophistication, and the skills and resources required to make it function so efficiently, few will likely dismiss these claims outright.