WikiLeaks reveals Grasshopper Malware, the CIA’s Windows hacking tool

You should definitely tremble when you hear about the Grasshopper Malware Windows hacking tool developed  by the CIA as claimed by WikiLeaks.
For those of you who are concerned about Information Security then this post is for you.

WikiLeaks , a whistle blowing website has released a new cache of 27 documents allegedly belonging to the CIA on the Grasshopper framework, a platform used to build customized malware payloads for Microsoft Windows operating systems.

All the leaked documents are basically a user manual that the agency flagged as “secret” and that are supposed to be only accessed by the members of the CIA, WikiLeaks claims.

About Grasshopper Framwork

As per the leaked documents, Grasshopper framework developed in Python makes it easy to create a custom malware to target a specific Windows Operating System and antivirus which a target is using. The Grasshopper framework will then assemble several components and come up with a Windows Installer that can be run on a target’s computer to install the custom malware payloads.

WikiLeaks claimed the Grasshopper toolset was allegedly designed to go undetected even from the anti-virus products from the world’s leading vendors including Kaspersky Lab, Symantec, and Microsoft.

“Grasshopper allows tools to be installed using a variety of persistence mechanisms and modified using a variety of extensions (like encryption),” Wikileaks said in the press release.

According to the User Guide, Grasshopper reinstalls itself every 22 hours, even if you have Windows Update disabled.

One of the so-called persistence mechanisms linked to Grasshopper is called Stolen Goods (Version 2), which shows how the CIA adapted known malware developed by cyber criminals across the world and modified it for its own uses.

One such malware is “Carberp,” which is a malware rootkit developed by Russian hackers.

I wish I could advice you on protecting yourself,but with this level of sophistication of the Grasshopper Framework which could go undetected even with the best antivirus’s in the market and considering that I am also a Windows user, all I can say for now is Good Luck!