A few months ago, Iran was a threat to join the rest of the nuclear states thanks to an ambitious nuclear weapons creation program hidden under the guise of a nuclear power plant. However, since that time, Iran’s nuclear program has gone completely off the rails thanks to a troublesome computer worm that keeps knocking their centrifuges offline. The worm is called Stuxnet, and it’s believed to be the first ever official attack in a cyber war between nations. Stuxnet, a complicated and directed computer worm, is believed to be too well-designed to be a product of non-professional hackers. Possible culprits are the United States and its various allies, China, and Russia.
According to software security firm Symantex, 60,000 of the 100,000 computers worldwide infected with Stuxnet are located in Iran. Stuxnet, an unusual virus designed to cost money rather than make money, is a computer worm designed to affect Siemens centrifuges used in nuclear power plants and other infrastructure programs. Apparently, it’s been super-effective, as it’s effectively taken the teeth out of Iran’s nuclear program, setting progress back several years.
“This was written for one purpose: sabotage of national critical infrastructure” said John Bumgarner, chief technology officer of the U.S. Cyber Consequences Unit. Worms like Stuxnet “will undoubtedly reshape international security and foreign policy forever. It’s a tipping point that will usher in a cyber-defense revolution in military affairs.”
Tags: Bushehr nuclear power plant, Tehran, Iran, Stuxnet, cyberwar, cyber warfare, Stuxnet worm developed to attack Iran’s nuclear program, Siemens, Symantec, John Bumgarner, US Cyber Consequences Unit, Iran nuclear program, Iran attacked by Stuxnet worm, computer security
