9/25/10

Al-Jazeera: "Iran 'attacked' by computer worm"

"Iran 'attacked' by computer worm

...Iran's nuclear agency is trying to combat a complex computer worm that has affected industrial sites throughout the country and is capable of taking over the control systems of power plants, Iranian media reports have said.

Experts from the Atomic Energy Organisation of Iran met this week to discuss how to remove the malicious computer code, or worm, the semi-official Isna news agency reported on Friday...

...The computer worm, dubbed Stuxnet, can take over systems that control the inner workings of industrial plants.

...Isna said the malware had spread throughout Iran, but did not name specific sites affected.

Foreign media reports have speculated the worm was aimed at disrupting Iran's first nuclear power plant, which is to go online in October in the southern port city of Bushehr.

...The destructive Stuxnet worm has surprised experts because it is the first one specifically created to take over industrial control systems, rather than just steal or manipulate data.

Speaking to Al Jazeera, Rik Ferguson, a senior security adviser at the computer security company Trend Micro, described the worm as "very sophisticated".

"It is designed both for information theft, looking for design documents and sending that information back to the controllers, and for disruptive purposes," he said.

"It can issue new commands or change commands used in manufacturing.

...Western experts have said the worm's sophistication - and the fact that about 60 per cent of computers infected looked to be in Iran - pointed to a government-backed attack.


Hmmm...?


Washington is also tracking the worm, and the Department of Homeland Security is building specialised teams that can respond quickly to cyber emergencies at industrial facilities across the US."


Al Jazeera

No comments: