The Stuxnet Virus
John Velarosa
Professor Ingram D. Rogers
1106CSIA3014041
August 3rd 2011
The Stuxnet Virus
The Stuxnet Virus
Abstract:
What diplomacy could not achieve, sanctions could not silent, and for which a military option was not viable, a cyber attack quietly accomplished.
Kim Zetter an investigative reporter with Wired Magazine online calls Stuxnet, “a piece of software that would ultimately make history as the world’s first real cyberweapon.” (Zetter, 2011, sec. 1)
In his article, Is “Stuxnet” the best malware ever? Gregg Keizer of Computer World says:
“The Stuxnet worm is a "groundbreaking" piece of malware so devious in its use of unpatched vulnerabilities, so sophisticated in its multipronged approach, that the security researchers who tore it apart believe it may be the work of state-backed professionals.” (Keizer, 2010)
Israel and the United States are widely considered to be behind the creation of the malicious Stuxnet worm which eventually sabotaged Iran's nuclear program. Systems that could have helped quickly build an Iranian nuclear bomb were effectively crippled by the malicious software. Stuxnet first came to light in July 2010 when nearly 60% of infections were being reported from Iran. While the United States and Israel did lead an aggressive international political campaign to get Iran to halt its nuclear program, neither country has openly admitted any involvement in this cyber attack. There is no hard evidence that links either country to Stuxnet. Regardless, most experts believe that this cyber attack was carried out by the two countries on Iranian computers that control centrifuges in key nuclear plants, and that it has set the country back at least a few years in its quest to build nuclear weapons.
1. Introduction:
In June 2010, Belarus-based security firm VirusBlokAda reported the first detection of a malicious malware named Stuxnet that attacks supervisory control and data acquisition (SCADA) systems running on Windows
Professor Ingram D. Rogers
1106CSIA3014041
August 3rd 2011
The Stuxnet Virus
The Stuxnet Virus
Abstract:
What diplomacy could not achieve, sanctions could not silent, and for which a military option was not viable, a cyber attack quietly accomplished.
Kim Zetter an investigative reporter with Wired Magazine online calls Stuxnet, “a piece of software that would ultimately make history as the world’s first real cyberweapon.” (Zetter, 2011, sec. 1)
In his article, Is “Stuxnet” the best malware ever? Gregg Keizer of Computer World says:
“The Stuxnet worm is a "groundbreaking" piece of malware so devious in its use of unpatched vulnerabilities, so sophisticated in its multipronged approach, that the security researchers who tore it apart believe it may be the work of state-backed professionals.” (Keizer, 2010)
Israel and the United States are widely considered to be behind the creation of the malicious Stuxnet worm which eventually sabotaged Iran's nuclear program. Systems that could have helped quickly build an Iranian nuclear bomb were effectively crippled by the malicious software. Stuxnet first came to light in July 2010 when nearly 60% of infections were being reported from Iran. While the United States and Israel did lead an aggressive international political campaign to get Iran to halt its nuclear program, neither country has openly admitted any involvement in this cyber attack. There is no hard evidence that links either country to Stuxnet. Regardless, most experts believe that this cyber attack was carried out by the two countries on Iranian computers that control centrifuges in key nuclear plants, and that it has set the country back at least a few years in its quest to build nuclear weapons.
1. Introduction:
In June 2010, Belarus-based security firm VirusBlokAda reported the first detection of a malicious malware named Stuxnet that attacks supervisory control and data acquisition (SCADA) systems running on Windows
Bibliography: 1. Zetter, K. (2011, July 11). How digital detectives deciphered Stuxnet, the most menacing malware in history. Wired.Com. Retrieved August 3rd 2011 from: http://www.wired.com/threatlevel/2011/07/how-digital-detectives-deciphered-stuxnet/all/1 2. Keizer, G. (2010, September 16). Is Stuxnet the 'best ' malware ever? Computerworld.Com. Retrieved August 3rd 2011 from: http://www.computerworld.com/s/article/9185919/Is_Stuxnet_the_best_malware_ever_ 3. Broad W. J., Markoff, J., & Sanger, D. E. (2011, January 15). Israeli test on worm called crucial in Iran nuclear delay. [Electronic version]. New York Times. Retrieved from: http://www.nytimes.com/2011/01/16/world/middleeast/16stuxnet.html?pagewanted=all 4. Masters, J. (2011, May 23). Confronting the cyber threat. Council on Foreign Relations Website. Retrieved August 3rd 2011, from: http://www.cfr.org/technology-and-foreign-policy/confronting-cyber-threat/p15577