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| Science & Technology |
| STUXNET: The Incredible Worm That Crippled Iran's Nuclear Ambitions |
| 2010-11-27 |
| In the 20th century, this would have been a job for James Bond. The mission: Infiltrate the highly advanced, securely guarded enemy headquarters where scientists in the clutches of an evil master are secretly building a weapon that can destroy the world. Then render that weapon harmless and escape undetected. The construction of the worm was so advanced, it was “like the arrival of an F-35 into a World War I battlefield,” says Ralph Langner, the computer expert who was the first to sound the alarm about Stuxnet. Others have called it the first “weaponized” computer virus. Simply put, Stuxnet is an incredibly advanced, undetectable computer worm that took years to construct and was designed to jump from computer to computer until it found the specific, protected control system that it aimed to destroy: Iran’s nuclear enrichment program. |
| Posted by:Bond - James Bond |
| #10 greetings grunter and fire and ice i don't think wikileaks would publish the stuxnet code. i have been to the wikileaks website and had a look, and it seems they DO redact identifying details. but what will you two say when your own government trolls YOUR computer for your secrets and you don't even know they passed regulations making it legal - because they have shut down every avenue of whistleblowing and independent inquiry or haul your neighbour off in the dead of night and you never hear anything about it... because nobody knows wikileaks isn't perfect but on balance i think it has done more good in the world than harm, like exposing Daniel Arap Moi's theft of $3 billion in Kenya. Yes, even exposing that there have been more killings than reported, or the bad conditions in Iraqi jails can help. It keeps us on our toes, and ensures we keep our standards high in foreign engagements because we know if we don't it will become public. in fact i have observed it is the threat of publicity that keeps standards high more than anything else. take that threat away and standards fall. it's why the NSW police force needs a royal commission every decade. |
| Posted by: anon1 2010-11-27 19:11 |
| #9 #7. "hey anon1, what will you say when Julian Assange publishes the Stuxnet code" ooh I told you (Internet connection times out) Â Â |
| Posted by: Fire and ice 2010-11-27 18:15 |
| #8 Symantec reported in their excellent brieifing that Stuxnet is the first computer worm that actually caused a loss of life. The 10 Iranian operators that were working were shot. One of them supposedly introduced the worm into the closed SCADA (plant control) system by using a USB drive. Among other things this worm is very nasty and next to impossible to remdiate. |
| Posted by: djh_usm 2010-11-27 18:09 |
| #7 Hey anon 1, what will you say when Julian Assange publishes the Stuxnet code? |
| Posted by: Grunter 2010-11-27 16:28 |
| #6 Kill it Joe! Kill it! xxxxiii |
| Posted by: Goldies Every Damn Where 2010-11-27 14:02 |
| #5 I sure hope that some competent and reliable authority is verifying that Iran is really having these problems and not just putting us off our guard. It may also be possible that this brilliant, all-powerful, super genius virus that can do anything, and then hide all traces, is really the result of Iranian induced software bugs and/or faulty hardware, testing, and quality control. It's nice to have a VIRUS to blame it all on. The danger is that if it's not a virus, then tomorrow they could find the real bugs and fix them and be back on their way with us none the wiser. |
| Posted by: Goober Goobelopolous 2010-11-27 13:40 |
| #4 The best thing would be is if the disagreement and uncertainty as to the origins of stuxnet continue. Ofcourse, it would be essential for wikileaks to put out the fine print info On stuxnet (if it could )even if it meant certain doom for the entire worldwide grid, keeping any secrets is not okay /s |
| Posted by: Fire and ice 2010-11-27 12:23 |
| #3 cool but a little bit scary brilliant because it's crippling a dangerous enemy but scary because cyberwar is going to affect us all... our whole lives are on computer, our banking, etc etc we are so vulnerable. what if it's turned on us? one day it is inevitable as the cyber arms race is not one-sided and we might not always win plus it might get turned against individuals, our own governments will keep tabs on us and might use it on troublemakers.... like journalists they dont like, political opposition etc |
| Posted by: anon1 2010-11-27 09:07 |
| #2 cool but a little bit scary brilliant because it's crippling a dangerous enemy but scary because cyberwar is going to affect us all... our whole lives are on computer, our banking, etc etc we are so vulnerable. what if it's turned on us? one day it is inevitable as the cyber arms race will not stay one-sided for long |
| Posted by: anon1 2010-11-27 09:06 |
| #1 STUXNET reportedly is affecting not only Iran's NUCPROGS but its Air Forces + C4IM in general??? |
| Posted by: JosephMendiola 2010-11-27 00:24 |