Wednesday, September 29, 2010

Why the Stuxnet worm is like nothing seen before

Stuxnet is a Windows-specific computer worm first discovered in June 2010 by VirusBlokAda, a security firm based in Belarus. It is the first discovered worm that spies on and reprograms industrial systems. It was specifically written to attack Supervisory Control And Data Acquisition (SCADA) systems. Stuxnet exploits the known windows vulnarabilities and implants the malicious code on target system which then reprograms the programmable logic controllers (PLCs) and hide the changes. It is the first-ever computer worm to include a PLC rootkit.  Furthermore the worm's probable target has been said to have been high value infrastructures in Iran using Siemens control systems. It has also been said that the infestation by this worm might have delayed the start up of Iran's Bushehr nuclear power plant. Kaspersky Labs has released a statement that Stuxnet will lead to creation of a new arms race in the world, while noting that the infections in Iran are off the charts. Stuxnet could make Iran the first victim of cyber warfare in history.


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