Stuxnet vs Skynet?

Stuxnet virus: worm 'could be aimed at high-profile Iranian targets’

Security experts have identified malicious software, thought to be aimed at power stations and water plants in Iran.

By Claudine Beaumont, Technology Editor

Published: 5:19PM BST 23 Sep 2010

Some security experts believe the Stuxnet worm was aimed at key parts of Iran's infrastructure, such as nuclear facilities, and may have been written or sanctioned by operatives from another nation. Photo: EPA

The complexity of the Stuxnet worm has lead some experts to speculate that it could be an act of cyber terrorism, a virus written and sanctioned by one country with the aim of impacting the infrastructure of another. It is believed to be the first computer virus aimed at causing physical changes in the the real world.

Stuxnet can be used to reprogram software to force a computer to carry out different commands. Some security experts believe the worm was likely targeted at high value infrastructure in Iran, such as nuclear power stations.

"The fact that we see so many more infections in Iran than anywhere else in the world makes us think this threat was targeted at Iran and that there was something in Iran that was of very, very high value to whomever wrote it," Liam O'Murchu, an expert at Symantec, told the BBC.

The Stuxnet worm first came to light in June, and has been monitored by security and cyber terrorism experts ever since. It is transferred between machines by USB memory stick, which means that even computers that are not connected to the internet for security reasons are still susceptible to it.

It searches for software, made by computer giant Siemens, that is often used to control systems in industrial facilities such as power plants. It can then be used to reprogram a computer’s commands, and issue it with a new set of instructions.

The worm is based on complex code that combines several known ‘hacking’ techniques to make it quicker to spread and more difficult to eradicate. It also exploits known vulnerabilities in Windows operating systems that are not running the most recent security updates.

There is growing concern in many countries about the threat of cyber terrorism. Robert Mueller, head of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, said the threat was “real” and “troubling”.

“A cyber-attack could have the same impact as a well-placed bomb,” he said at a recent security conference. “The cyberterrorism threat is real and rapidly expanding. Terrorists have shown a clear interest in hacking skills and combining real attacks with cyber attacks.”

Source: Telegraph.co.uk

Stuxnet...dua minggu lepas agaknya, seorang kenalan memberitahu ana mengenainya, tetapi ketika itu ana tidak tahu apa-apa tentangnya. Beberapa hari sebelum ini, seorang junior UTM pula berkongsi mengenainya di SINI. Stuxnet...ia mengingatkan ana kepada "Skynet"...virus di dalam filem belum tamat, "Terminator" (filem kegemaran keluarga ana). Sama sahaja, targetnya bukan duit, tetapi kemusnahan dunia. Dan tentu sahaja mereka yang diupah untuk menghasilkan cecacing ini dibiayai oleh negara-negara besar. Lihat sahaja spekulasi-spekulasi di internet mengenainya.

Stuxnet...mengingatkan ana kepada "Skynet"...mengingatkan pula kepada "Terminator"...mengingatkan pula kepada siri "The Arrivals"...

Anda baru sahaja mengenali perkataan itu? Tanya Mr.Google...