Iran Nuclear NewsSoftware smart bomb fired at Iranian nuclear plant: experts

Software smart bomb fired at Iranian nuclear plant: experts

-

AFP: Computer security experts are studying a scary new cyber weapon: a software smart bomb that may have been crafted to find and sabotage a nuclear facility in Iran.

By Glenn Chapman

SAN FRANCISCO (AFP) — Computer security experts are studying a scary new cyber weapon: a software smart bomb that may have been crafted to find and sabotage a nuclear facility in Iran.

Malicious software, or malware, dubbed “Stuxnet” is able to recognize a specific facility’s control network and then destroy it, according to German computer security researcher Ralph Langner.

“Welcome to cyber war,” Langner said in a post at his website. “This is sabotage.”

Langner has been analyzing Stuxnet since it was discovered in June and said the code had a technology fingerprint of the control system it was seeking and would go into action automatically when it found its target.

“It’s pretty amazing,” James Lewis, a senior fellow at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, told AFP on Thursday. “It looks like more than simple cyber espionage.”

Stuxnet was tailored for Siemens supervisory control and data acquisition (SCADA) systems commonly used to manage water supplies, oil rigs, power plants and other industrial facilities.

It traveled by sneaking onto USB memory sticks and was able to thereby hop from system to system without needing the Internet, according to Roel Schouwenberg, senior anti-virus researcher at Kaspersky Lab Americas.

Stuxnet is considered a malware “worm” because it burrows from machine to machine, replicating itself on the way.

Once in a computer system running on Windows software, Stuxnet checked for any of three Siemens SCADA programmable logic controllers (PLCs) that manage functions such as cooling or turbine speed, Schouwenberg told AFP.

If there was a match, Stuxnet automatically took over control of the PLC and hid any changes from workers operating or managing a system, according to Schouwenberg.

“When the operator looks at the plant, everything will look just fine,” Schouwenberg said. “Meanwhile, the machine will be overloading. Its ultimate goal is cyber sabotage.”

“Stuxnet manipulates a fast running process,” Langner explained at his website. “We can expect that something will blow up soon. Something big.”

The software saboteur has been found lurking on systems in India, Indonesia, Pakistan and elsewhere, but the heaviest infiltration appeared to be in Iran, according to software security researchers.

“This was assembled by a highly qualified team of experts, involving some with specific control system expertise,” Langner said.

“This is not some hacker sitting in the basement of his parents’ house. The resources needed to stage this attack point to a nation state.”

The pattern of spread correlated somewhat with jobs handled by a firm commissioned to work at nuclear facilities, according to researchers.

Langner suspected Stuxnet’s mark was the Bushehr nuclear facility in Iran. Unspecified problems have been blamed for a delay in getting the facility fully operational.

On August 31, Iranian atomic chief Ali Akbar Salehi blamed “severe hot weather” for a delay in moving fuel rods into its Russian-built first nuclear power plant.

“Look at the Iranian nuclear program,” Langner said. “Strange — they are presently having some technical difficulties down there in Bushehr.”

There have been Stuxnet infections all over the world and it was impossible to be certain the target was Iran, Schouwenberg cautioned.

Stuxnet creators left plenty of clues in the malware, giving the impression they didn’t fear being caught, according to Langner.

“The whole attack only makes sense within a very limited timeframe,” Langner said. “After Stuxnet is analyzed, the attack won’t work any more. It’s a one-shot weapon.”

Microsoft has already patched two of four Windows operating system vulnerabilities exploited by Stuxnet, according to Schouwenberg.

“For the most part, Stuxnet has been mitigated,” the researcher said. “The question now is whether this is going to be a one-off thing or is it setting a precedent?”

Latest news

 Statistics show that New Year accidents’ deaths in Iran reached 585

Ahmad Shirani, the head of the Information and Traffic Control Center of the Iranian regime’s police, announced that the...

Land Subsidence in Critical Conditions in Isfahan

Mehdi Toghyani, a member of the Iranian regime’s Majlis (parliament), pointed to the occurrence of land subsidence in various...

Iran’s Actual Inflation Rate Higher Than Official Stats

The state-run Donya-e-eqtesad newspaper, in a report analyzing the "general sentiment" regarding inflation in 2023, has stated that households...

Iranian Workers’ Monthly $136 Wages Can’t Cover $500 Expenses

The lives of a significant portion of the Iranian population are marked by uncertainty, largely because the Iranian economy...

Iranian Nurses Earn Twice Their Wages in Ride-Hailing Services

Reza Aryanpour, a member of the regime’s Majlis (parliament) Health and Treatment Commission, highlighted the growing trend of nurses...

Iran: Unprecedented Record of 152 Million Liters of Gasoline Consumption Per Day

On March 19, Iran set a new historical record in gasoline consumption with 152 million liters consumed in one...

Must read

COLUMN-Human bargaining chips in deals with Iran:Bernd Debusman

Reuters: Seven summers ago, in a crowded conference room...

Iran gasoline capacity to keep growing -report

Reuters: Iran is expanding one of its main refineries...

You might also likeRELATED
Recommended to you