The Snake malware, also known as Turla, is a highly sophisticated cyber espionage tool developed by the Russian Federal Security Service (FSB) for long-term intelligence collection on sensitive targets. The malware is designed to evade detection by using custom communication protocols that employ encryption and fragmentation, making it difficult to detect and collect information on.
The FSB has created a covert peer-to-peer (P2P) network of numerous Snake-infected computers worldwide, with many systems in the network serving as relay nodes. These nodes route disguised operational traffic to and from Snake implants on the FSB's ultimate targets. The FSB has used Snake to collect sensitive intelligence from high-priority targets across various industries, including government networks, research facilities, and journalists.
Snake has been identified in over 50 countries across North and South America, Europe, Africa, Asia, and Australia, with the United States and Russia itself being among the targeted countries. Within the United States, the FSB has victimized industries such as education, small businesses, media organizations, and critical infrastructure sectors, including government facilities, financial services, critical manufacturing, and communications.
This Cybersecurity Advisory provides technical descriptions of the implant's host architecture and network communications, as well as mitigation recommendations for network defenders to detect Snake and associated activity. It also addresses a recent Snake variant that has not yet been widely disclosed. This information is critical in helping organizations protect themselves against the FSB's cyber espionage activities and ensure the security of their sensitive data.
