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The Spectacle Blog
A computer worm has impaired the functioning of Iran’s nuclear centrifuges, fueling speculation that it was a deliberate cyber attack and that Israel is behind it. The New York Times reports:
The paternity of the worm is still in dispute, but in recent weeks officials from Israel have broken into wide smiles when asked whether Israel was behind the attack, or knew who was. American officials have suggested it originated abroad.
The new forensic work narrows the range of targets and deciphers the worm’s plan of attack. Computer analysts say Stuxnet does its damage by making quick changes in the rotational speed of motors, shifting them rapidly up and down.
Changing the speed “sabotages the normal operation of the industrial control process,” Eric Chien, a researcher at the computer security company Symantec, wrote in a blog post.
Those fluctuations, nuclear analysts said in response to the report, are a recipe for disaster among the thousands of centrifuges spinning in Iran to enrich uranium, which can fuel reactors or bombs. Rapid changes can cause them to blow apart. Reports issued by international inspectors reveal that Iran has experienced many problems keeping its centrifuges running, with hundreds removed from active service since summer 2009.
The article later notes:
Ralph Langner, a German expert in industrial control systems who has examined the program and who was the first to suggest that the Stuxnet worm may have been aimed at Iran, noted in late September that a file inside the code was named “Myrtus.” That could be read as an allusion to Esther, and he and others speculated it was a reference to the Book of Esther, the Old Testament tale in which the Jews pre-empt a Persian plot to destroy them.
Back in July, Eli Lake wrote an illuminating article about the U.S. and Israeli secret war of sabotage against Iran’s nuclear program. And if you think about it, it actually makes a lot of sense strategically. The diplomatic and operational difficulties of an Israeli air assault on Iranian nuclear facilities has been well documented. With the whole world speculating about if or when Israel may take military action against Iran, launching small scale sabotage operations with plausible deniability would be a clever way of retarding Iran’s nuclear development.
View all comments (12) | Leave a comment
More Blog Posts by Philip Klein
http://spectator.org/blog/2010/11/19/is-israel-behind-sabotage-of-i
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Ryan| 11.19.10 @ 10:58AM
Israel producing the worm was one of the FIRST things that I - and I suspect many people - thought of along these lines. Of course they did it, and of course Iran won't have the ability to prove it - and hopefully not be able to fix it for some time.
Eric Cartman| 11.19.10 @ 11:00AM
Let's hope so! The Kenyan Chicken in the WH certainly isn't.
Ken (Old Texican)| 11.19.10 @ 11:16AM
Ryan and Eric,
You guys simply must buy my book. I promise you the most rip-roaring ride you have ever experienced. check ut chapter one at
www.texassaidno.com
I am working dilligently on the sequel: "America Alone Said NO!"
Eric Cartman| 11.19.10 @ 2:24PM
Let me get through this semester and I'll read it. Promise- just too much to read right now ;-) Love the title.
Bob Miller| 11.19.10 @ 11:31AM
If it works as planned, a lot of people will want to take credit for it.
Al Adab| 11.19.10 @ 12:38PM
We can certainly hope that the worm was designed for this purpose by someone. Why however, should the united States expect others do do our dirty work? At the same time several alternatives exist which could serve to elimnate the international threat presented by the centrifuges in question. Thermobaric anyone?
JimmyT| 11.19.10 @ 12:46PM
My son, a computer whiz, says if was done properly they will most likely have to start from scratch. Well done Israel.
Richard Wicks| 11.19.10 @ 1:48PM
As an electrical engineer, I can say this won't impede progress by more than a few weeks. The simple solution is to simply wipe the systems, disable outside access via ethernet and USB ports, reinstall and start up.
Also, if this is modifying "rotational speeds of motors" it would require precise knowledge of the interface to them which require the virus writer(s) to have intimate knowledge of the hardware being used.
In short, I'm a bit skeptical of the veracity of this event.
Baba Ganush| 11.19.10 @ 3:25PM
Who said that this only one virus have been developed for a cyber war? Wait for more.
Ned the Red| 11.19.10 @ 3:55PM
I suspect the Roskies. I mean, look at the beauty of it. They make a fortune off of Iran selling the hardware and technology knowing full well that it will never work.
In spite of what some may think I doubt the Bears want Iran shooting off nuclear firecrackers any more than the next guy. Remember they tried cozying up with crazies once before and look what that got them.
They know Israel will get the blame or the credit for any misdeeds while they commiserate with their pissed off customers. Putin probably has already tipped us off to their little game in exchange for some type of concession elsewhere. (Like leaving Poland and Czechoslovakia in the lurch over the missile thing)
This would explain President Bush’s failure to act and President Obama sucking up to Iran. The former knew the problem was taken care of and the latter has to make sure he is not suspected of any part in the evil deed.
RM Nixon| 11.19.10 @ 4:39PM
This particular worm infects Windows OSs by using a particular nasty set of codes to imbed itself into the kernel (essientially a root kit). Once implanted, it calls back to the "mothership" (usually some preset webserver somewhere) where it can get its payload -in this case attacking PLC software controls. The atomic energy markets use PLCs to do all kinds of high precision work. Without PLC's it is impossible to make a nuke. What's even more amazig is what a few software specialist wrote about this worm. The only way it could infect the PCs was via a thumb drive. The Mossad had to have had someone on the inside.
Good job Mossad. While our security people are masterbating and terrorizing air travelers, it's good to see some real spies are on the job.