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Stuxnet a more effective weapon than a military strike on nuclear plants

If the damage to the Iranian nuclear program is genuine, this makes Stuxnet something of a landmark in cyberwar history….Stuxnet-like attacks have the potential to set back their victims by many years.

Stuxnet apparently as effective as a military strike, Ars Technica By Peter Bright 17 Dec 10, Damage from the Stuxnet virus has apparently set back the Iranian nuclear program by as much as two years, according to a German security expert talking to the Jerusalem Post. This makes the virus as effective as a military strike—but without loss of life or risk of full-blown war.

This comes amid claims that the virus is continuing to infect Iranian systems and disrupt the Iranian nuclear effort, and the news from IAEA last month that Iran had suspended work at its nuclear production facilities, likely as a result of the virus.

If the damage to the Iranian nuclear program is genuine, this makes Stuxnet something of a landmark in cyberwar history. Much has been made of the threat of computer-based attacks, but thus far they appear to have been limited to either denial-of-service attacks, website defacement, or attempts to break into systems to steal classified data.

Stuxnet is something of a different beast. This was no crude DoS attack or vandalistic defacement. It is a carefully developed, specifically targeted device, one intended to cause subtle but substantial damage to key infrastructure. While a DoS or defacement may take a few days or weeks to clear up, Stuxnet-like attacks have the potential to set back their victims by many years.

Stuxnet apparently as effective as a military strike

December 17, 2010 - Posted by Christina Macpherson | 2 WORLD, technology