There are numerous diseases in the world that have yet to be eradicated, and we expect to discover more in the future. This is why vaccines have developed to either avoid or at least greatly reduce the symptoms of some diseases. However, it appears that others are trying to sabotage the research as malware targets vaccine research facilities and manufacturers.
Researchers from BIO-ISAC have found a new Windows malware strain called Tardigrade that can actually change to avoid detection. It’s ironic because immunizations have meant to target viruses. Stopping a virus in its tracks stops it from moving to another host and mutating, making it more resistant to subsequent vaccines. This is identical to the Tardigrade malware.
Researchers say it can mutate by rewriting part of its programming to avoid detection. It can even recompile its code when the host connects to the internet. This makes malware scanners less effective and stops it from leaving a consistent signature.
The researchers now encourage firms to adopt “antivirus with behavioural analysis capabilities”. And also to be wary of phishing emails used to spread malware.
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