- Dec 30, 2012
- 4,809
1. Stuxnet
"Stuxnet is quite possibly the most successful example of a targeted malware attack, at least of those that have become public knowledge.
The precise targeting of industrial controller devices from IT firm Siemens by Stuxnet led security researchers to quickly come to the conclusion that it was deliberately developed by one or more state security agencies - purported to be US and Israeli - in order to attack specific targets.
In this case it was centrifuge equipment being used to refine uranium at Iran's nuclear facilities. The malware almost wrecked the centrifuges by causing them to spin out of control while masking its activity with faked recordings showing normal functioning.
Stuxnet was a watershed moment in that it was the first known successful cyber attack on another nation's infrastructure. It has been criticised by many in the security industry for legitimising the use of such weapons, and because other nations may be able to adapt it for their own purposes.
Suspected variants of Stuxnet such as Flame and Duqu have already been documented, and have affected countries outside Iran, such as Indonesia, Pakistan and Azerbaijan."
More
"Stuxnet is quite possibly the most successful example of a targeted malware attack, at least of those that have become public knowledge.
The precise targeting of industrial controller devices from IT firm Siemens by Stuxnet led security researchers to quickly come to the conclusion that it was deliberately developed by one or more state security agencies - purported to be US and Israeli - in order to attack specific targets.
In this case it was centrifuge equipment being used to refine uranium at Iran's nuclear facilities. The malware almost wrecked the centrifuges by causing them to spin out of control while masking its activity with faked recordings showing normal functioning.
Stuxnet was a watershed moment in that it was the first known successful cyber attack on another nation's infrastructure. It has been criticised by many in the security industry for legitimising the use of such weapons, and because other nations may be able to adapt it for their own purposes.
Suspected variants of Stuxnet such as Flame and Duqu have already been documented, and have affected countries outside Iran, such as Indonesia, Pakistan and Azerbaijan."
More
