Gone Rogue? Virus Stuxnet Infects Russian Nuclear Plant, Space Station
Cyberwar and Stuxnet: Weaponized code a bad idea from start to finish, and here we see why...
The Stuxnet virus, thought to be created by US and Israeli governments to disable or disrupt Iran’s nuclear facilities, has reportedly "gone rogue" and infected a Russian nuclear power plant and even the Space Station.
Was this an accidental development, or was this the aim of the virus to begin with? Moreover, why aren’t the creators of such uncontrollable malware being confronted on such acts of war?
[READ: Act of War? President Obama Ordered Wave Of Cyber Attacks Against Iran]
In the age of incredible technology which can trigger nuclear cataclysm by accident (or purposefully), are ANY hands the ’right hands’?
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Stuxnet Infected Russian Nuclear Plant, International Space Station, Claims Kaspersky
By Max Smolaks | Tech Week Europe
According to the charismatic CEO, malware created to disrupt Iranian nuclear research has travelled to space
Stuxnet, the cyber-weapon allegedly created by the US and Israel government forces to take out uranium processing centrifuges in Iran, also infected a Russian nuclear plant and even reached the International Space Station, claimed Eugene Kaspersky in a keynote at a National Press Club of Australia meeting.
According to the head of one of the world’s largest vendors of IT security products, the fact that the Russian facility wasn’t connected to the Internet didn’t stop the infection.
“Unfortunately these people who were responsible for offensive technologies, they recognise cyber weapons as an opportunity,” warned Kaspersky. He also joked that all of the existing data has been stolen at least twice.
Stuxnet around the world
In 2010, Iranian president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad accused the country’s enemies of trying to disrupt uranium enrichment facilities in Natanz using Stuxnet, considered by some to be one of the most sophisticated pieces of malware ever discovered. According to Symantec, the oldest Stuxnet sample dates as far back as 2005.
A source allegedly told Kaspersky that a Russian nuclear facility was “badly infected” by Stuxnet, despite not being connected to the Internet – the practice known as ‘air gap’ security. Just like in Iran, the infection spread through USB memory sticks, which were previously connected to systems tainted by advanced malware.
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Read the full article at: techweekeurope.co.uk
"Stuxnet, the first weapon made entirely out of code"
READ: Stuxnet leaker under investigation
