On 26 September, Iran’s state news agency reported that computers at its Bushehr nuclear power plant had been infected by Stuxnet.

New Scientist explains the significance of the worm.

Why the fuss over Stuxnet?

Computer viruses, worms and trojans have until now mainly infected PCs or the servers that keep e-businesses running. They may delete key system files or documents, or perhaps prevent website access, but they do not threaten life and limb.

The Stuxnet worm is different. It is the first piece of malware so far able to break into the types of computer that control machinery at the heart of industry, allowing an attacker to assume control of critical systems like pumps, motors, alarms and valves in an industrial plant.

In the worst case scenarios, safety systems could be switched off at a nuclear power plant; fresh water contaminated with effluent at a sewage treatment plant, or the valves in an oil pipeline opened, contaminating the land or sea.

“Giving an attacker control of industrial systems like a dam, a sewage plant or a power station is extremely unusual and makes this a serious threat with huge real world implications,” says Patrick Fitzgerald, senior threat intelligence officer with Symantec. “It has changed everything.”

Why is a different type of worm needed to attack an industrial plant?

Industrial machinery is not controlled directly by the kind of computers we all use. Instead, the equipment used in an industrial process is controlled by a separate, dedicated system called a programmable logic controller (PLC) which runs supervisory control and data Acquisition software (SCADA)

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After Hitting Iran Hard Stuxnet Attacks Kazakhstan and Russia

READ ABOUT ATTACKS ON KAZAKHSTAN&RUSSIA HERE> >

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