Stuxnet cyberworm heads off US strike on Iran

[Turborama]

Source: The Guardian

Military option 'less likely' after computer sabotage, as Israeli tests are revealed on Natanz nuclear model

Ewen MacAskill in Washington
guardian.co.uk, Sunday January 16 2011 20.19 GMT

The chances of a military strike against Iran this year are receding because of the success of a joint Israeli-US cyberattack on the country's nuclear facilities, according to officials and analysts with knowledge of the clandestine operation.

The New York Times http://www.nytimes.com/2011/01/16/world/middleeast/16stuxnet.html?_r=1&hp=&pagewanted=all">reported today that Israel, with US help, had set up a model of the Iranian nuclear process at Dimona, the Israeli nuclear arms development centre in the Negev desert, to test a sophisticated destructive programme.

A computer worm, Stuxnet, was known last year to have been inserted into the Iranian nuclear operation and Iran admitted its programme had been delayed.

What is new is the role of Dimona, where the Israelis are reported to have been spinning nuclear centrifuges virtually identical to Iran's nuclear plant at Natanz, and the extent of involvement by US researchers and intelligence agencies. The centrifuges are used to enrich uranium.

Read more: http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2011/jan/16/stuxnet-cyberworm-us-strike-iran

---

[Cali_Democrat]

1. So when do we infect the Israeli nucler program with a stuxnet-like virus?

After all, they too are in violation of the nuclear non-proliferation treaty.

[Behind the Aegis]

2. Israel is not in violation of the NPT.

Don't let those pesky facts get in the way.

[niceypoo]

3. Israel is not an NPT signee

Thus they do not fall under it's rules. They have a policy of intentional ambiguity, meaning they neither admit or deny having nukes.

Just the facts ma'am.

[Cali_Democrat]

5. You're right

Those cowardly warmongers never signed the treaty, proving once again that they are a rogue nation. The whole world hates them.

I hope that Iran gets their program up and running soon so they can deter the warmongers from Israel.

[abq e streeter]

7. The whole world hates them...Thank you for making such a concise and convincing case for Israel

to do whatever it needs to in order to ensure its survival.I couldn't have said it better myself. Thanks again, Cali Dem.

[Hardrada]

9. Is there some measure of sarcasm here?

[Cali_Democrat]

15. The world hates them because of their policies

One of them being their nuclear weapons program.

But Israel is greedy, they want their nukes and the Palestinian's land and they don't care about the hatred that comes with those policies.

Just don't be shocked when countries in the Middle East develop nukes to keep the warmongers at bay.

[LTX]

46. So in your view, Israeli's are just intrinsically evil.

They are "greedy," and the whole world "hates them." I'm curious, in your view, is this appalling Israeli character deficit attributable to something? Say, a religion?

[fascisthunter]

39. hate.... maybe if they acted more civilized towards neighboring nations

they be treated differently. The Israel is sacrosanct is disgusting one sided and it reveals a deep misunderstanding of history. All you are doing is making excuses for a government that has endangered Israelis as well as muslims.

[Name removed]

19. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[Cali_Democrat]

22. What did I say that was anti-semitic?

warmongers are warmongers whether they be Semites, Muslims, whites, Asians, etc...

Warmongers come in all races, religions, colors and creeds...

Just because I criticize Israel, it doesn't mean I'm anti-Semitic.

[Hugabear]

25. Don't you know, any criticism of Israel = anti-Semitism

Criticize their treatment of Palestinians = anti-Semitism
Criticize their flaunting of the UN = anti-Semitism
Criticize their nuke program = anti-Semitism

It's much easier to deflect criticism by labelling anyone who disagrees as anti-Semitic

[LTX]

47. And of course, demonizing and stereotyping Israelis as "greedy," and

making the sweeping statement that "the whole world hates them," is just "criticism of Israel."

[Maat]

26. People who defend this appalling conduct should just give it up ...

in the sense that no amount of yelping 'anti-semitism' is going to prevent me from calling the Israeli government on its persistent immoral and illegal behavior. It has no right to interfere this way with the operations of a sovereign nation. Period.

[LeftishBrit]

32. Yes, because the more countries with nukes, the better off we'll be

:sarcasm: if needed.


'The whole world hates them.'

No, it doesn't. Thankfully, 'the whole world' has other interests and preoccupations than creating bogeynations.

But perhaps if fewer countries in the world hated them, they wouldn't have felt the need to develop nukes. That's how arms races are made.

We need to work for peace, not for escalating arms races still further.

[Name removed]

33. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[Codeine]

41. The whole world does not hate them.

A certain predictable subset of the world hates them, and I'm quite confident that most of that same group would hate them regardless of any policy changes they made.

[leftynyc]

45. You sound deranged

The whole world hates Israel? Really? Like who? Wanting the mullah's in iran to have nuclear weapons could be the stupidest thing I've seen on this board and I've been here 10 years so congrats.

[JackRiddler]

35. As a rogue state with hundreds of nukes, Israel's violations are much worse than that, of course.

[LTX]

49. Is Iran a "rogue state"? n/t

[Hugabear]

4. So what happens when Stuxnet makes its way to the rest of the world?

Oh, I know, this is a fully contained computer virus, no way could it ever get out of control. :sarcasm:

[Stardust]

6. And that would be a bad thing?

:eyes:

[Hugabear]

8. I'm pretty sure it would be

Unless you like not having electricity, running water, etc.

[Stardust]

10. Guess I mispintepreted its targets were specific Siemens controllers (in Iran.)

[boppers]

29. Nope. Doesn't work that way.

It was first discovered in Belarus. Which, if you're more educated than the average American, you would know is not in Iran.

Infections so far:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stuxnet#Affected_countries

Country: Infected computers
Iran 62,867
Indonesia 13,336
India 6,552
United States 2,913
Australia 2,436
United Kingdom 1,038
Malaysia 1,013
Pakistan 993
Finland 7
Germany 5

[sweetapogee]

14. that would

force them into using green sources for powering their electrical generators: solar and wind. No downside, everyone wins!

[4saken]

16. It already did...

"...He quickly discovered that the worm only kicked into gear when it detected the presence of a specific configuration of controllers, running a set of processes that appear to exist only in a centrifuge plant. “The attackers took great care to make sure that only their designated targets were hit,” he said. “It was a marksman’s job.”

For example, one small section of the code appears designed to send commands to 984 machines linked together.

Curiously, when international inspectors visited Natanz in late 2009, they found that the Iranians had taken out of service a total of exactly 984 machines that had been running the previous summer".

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/01/16/world/middleeast/16stuxnet.html?pagewanted=3&_r=2&hp">source

A virus can infect many computers but only activate under the right conditions. This virus was found on computers all over the world.

"The primary purpose of the Stuxnet worm is to take control of industrial facilities. Interestingly, one would expect the malware authors to design malware that would target only computers running the software that controls these facilities. However, like any other garden variety worm, it spreads indiscriminately using the vulnerability mentioned above. "

img502.imageshack.us/i/20100714003123991.jpg

http://www.symantec.com/security_response/writeup.jsp?docid=2010-071400-3123-99">source

[jeff47]

27. Unless you happen to be running the right software, it doesn't do much

According to the articles about it, Stuxnet only affects a particular version of a Seimens industrial control system, and then only when a particular model of motor is connected to that system.

If you don't have a SCADA system in your garage, the worst it can do is copy itself to USB sticks you plug into your computer.

[boppers]

31. It has a specific target, but general vectors.

It's like a virus that only affects "redheaded left-handers", but anyone can carry (without symptoms) like a common cold.

[lepus]

34. Or even better, other people use the worm as the base of a next gen cyberattack

That not only takes websites down but damages facilities using PLCs.

Hmm, some of the controls in our own nuclear power plants are PLC based. Same for other infrastructure items. If they do not use PLCs they are behind the technology curve.

That sewage treatment plant probably has at least one PLC. The water plant will actually have a whole slew of them, along with satellite units on each water tower. The power company? Yup they use them too. Power distribution? The whole thing runs on PLCs for control.

If you are in manufacturing, any large automated piece of equipment has them also.

There are likely going to be bad consequences to bringing cyberwarfare out of the cyber world and into the real one.

I really wish they had not let the genie out of the bottle on this one.

[postulater]

11. Why would anyone be stupid enough to plug a removable drive into a computer running step 7?

[paparush]

12. Stupid? Or, well paid?

[jeff47]

28. Once you've worked much in "high tech"...

...you quickly realize just how many boneheaded people work in "high tech".

PHBs are not a uniquely American phenomenon.

(Or as a sibling reply mentions, someone could have paid a janitor a year's salary to do it)

[HysteryDiagnosis]

13. Please note the "Windows Computer" listed in the graphic, this message was

generated with Ubuntu 9.10 Karmic Koala without incident, your mileage may vary.

[conspirator]

17. Iranians should just shut the lines with the outside.

They didn't need the internet during the manhatan project

[daleo]

24. Reminds me of Battlestar Gallactica

Being off the grid, it wasn't affected by the Cylon virus.

[AngryAmish]

38. They did

It was brought in via thumbdrives and the ilk.

[bemildred]

18. What a bunch of bullshit. nt

[harun]

42. I shouldn't have to read this far down a thread for someone to call this one

correctly.

Bullsh*t is correct.

[JackRiddler]

43. I'm inclined to agree with you, but it's also a good sign...

The screech-for-war faction of Israel and the Pentagon neocons have failed. They've been screeching for more than four years and, clearly, they will not be getting the US to perpetrate the desired
"bunker busting" nuclear holocaust in Iran before 2013 at the earliest, if ever. Continued screeching makes them look weak, but just stopping makes them look like losers. They need to save face. This tale allows them to declare victory, by taking credit for the non-existent "technical difficulties" that caused a "delay" in the non-existent Iranian weapons program.

This may even be a prelude to a deal to normalize relations with Iran.

[bemildred]

44. Agreed. nt

[GliderGuider]

20. Given this international loss of face, how is Iran likely to respond?

In addition to the setback to their nuclear program, the mullahs don't like being held up to international ridicule.

What are peoples' thoughts on the form the blowback might take?

[Alamuti Lotus]

21. Summary: cyberterrorism and murder are ok ... as long as US/Israel are doing it

and if you disagree, you probably just want to see the Jews dead. These discussions bring out the most interesting sides of otherwise-uninteresting people.

[daleo]

23. If it's true, why are they telling us?

There's always an angle.

[boppers]

30. No way is it true.

However, if you make enemies *think* that you have a superweapon, that they cannot defend against, they will go through insane amounts of money and effort trying to defeat it.

[bemildred]

37. Makes you look like you are good at your job too.

But yeah ...

[JackRiddler]

36. How is this not an act of war and how will they justify their outrage if there is retaliation?

Assuming this thing even happened and isn't just some kind of face-saving exercise in advance of an agreement with Iran (hey, dreams and hopes are eternal!).

[fascisthunter]

40. Our Government is Run by Mad Men

I swear, it's like watching a bully smack a hornets nest and then trying to justify it by making up hypothetical shit. This will just make things worse, not better.

If you can't do something honestly and transparently, don't expect others to do the same.

[nalnn]

48. Keep Posting Turbo

I love your posts. Here is that NYTimes link again because it just so good. For those who haven't read it please do. If I missed this fact in the threads above, my apologies, but it needs to be addressed: This plan was started by Bush and accelerated by the current administration.