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Stuxnet computer worm could target nuclear warheads

Nuclear warheads could be next Stuxnet target: Check Point, Code in Stuxnet worm can be modified with right skills, says security expert, CIO Hamish Barwick (Computerworld), 09 September, 2011, Due to the complexity and sophistication of the code contained within the Stuxnet worm, the possibility of it being used to take control of a nuclear warhead is high, according to a security expert.

At Check Point’s Sydney conference this week, Check Point Israel security evangelist, Tomer Teller, said he analysed the code of the Stuxnet worm, which was used to take control of a nuclear facility in Iran in June, 2009. “This is a huge file, it’s 1 megabyte [MB] of code and I respect the skill required to engineer that code as it is very complex,” he said.

Teller confirmed the code in Stuxnet could be modified to launch new SCADA attacks. “Nuclear warheads are controlled by computers so if someone managed to slip a worm inside a facility that will reach the warhead component, they could launch it and than aim it back at the country’s facility,” he said.

“Stuxnet is the first cyber weapon that could cause major disruption.”…..According to Teller, Stuxnet is a blueprint for future SCADA attacks, and he is aware that people have downloaded and modified the worm. “Stuxnet may have been deployed already but we don’t know about it because some companies won’t disclose breaches,” he said. https://mail.google.com/mail/?hl=en&tab=wm#compose

September 10, 2011 - Posted by Christina Macpherson | 2 WORLD, safety, technology