Malware Never Dies, It Morphs and Reappears – Infographic

Security firm AlienVault has released a highly interesting infographic called “The eternal life of malware.”

Based on recent major cyber security events, experts have determined that modern malware never dies. Instead, it simply morphs and reappears.

For instance, Stuxnet, which was first detected back in 2010, was linked to the cybercriminal campaign dubbed “Operations Olympic Games” in June 2012.

The Shamoom malware, which is believed to be behind the attacks on Saudi Aramco, is actually a copycat of Wiper, whose origins have yet to be identified.

Furthermore, the notorious Flame was discovered by researchers who were actually analyzing Wiper.

Duqu has been built on the same platform as Stuxnet, and Gauss is believed to have been developed by the authors of Flame.

While the origins of many of these malicious elements have yet to be identified, it’s safe to say that modern malware, especially pieces apparently developed by state actors, never actually die out.