Wednesday, July 27, 2011

Stuxnet: The First Weaponized Virus



Stuxnet video: Anatomy of a Computer Virus

Director:Patrick Clair (patrickclair.com, vimeo.com/patrickclair)
Written by:Scott Mitchell
Produced by:Zapruder's Other Films
Motion Graphics:Patrick Clair

I stumbled across this incredibly well-done video, which describes, in concise layman’s terms, the nature and ramifications of last year’s Stuxnet virus.  Stuxnet is arguably the first weapon of war that’s made entirely of computer code, deployed on a global scale. This 3-minute segment was produced for the Australian TV program “HungryBeast” on ABC1.

Although many of us have still not heard of Stuxnet, this was one virus that should make everyone sit up and take notice.  Those who have studied this virus say it is undoubtedly a “cyberweapon”, and many believe that it specifically targeted Iran's nuclear uranium enrichment facilities.  Further still, it is widely speculated that Israel and/or the United States may have been involved.

Eugene Kaspersky, co-founder and chief executive officer of Russian computer security firm Kaspersky Lab said on the company's website that “This malicious program was not designed to steal money, send spam, grab personal data... no, this piece of malware was designed to sabotage plants, to damage industrial systems.”

In the new world order of tomorrow, the victor may not be the one with the mightiest guns, bombs, planes or armies, but rather, the one with the mightiest code.
Dieter Groll
“We believe this type of attack could only be conducted with nation-state support and backing.  The sophistication of the multi-layered attack brings us to an understanding that Stuxnet was created by a team of extremely skilled professionals who possessed vast resources and financial support”, he concluded.

I first wrote about Cyberwarfare in 2009.  Stuxnet is the first concrete example of the future of warfare, with truly frightening potential.  Stuxnet's successors may indeed possess the potential to bring down an enemy nation’s electrical grid, or other critical infrastructure.  In the “new world order” of tomorrow, the victor may not be the one with the mightiest guns, bombs, planes or armies, but rather, the one with the mightiest code.

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