Confirmed: US and Israel created Stuxnet, lost control of it

[jordguitar]

[QUOTE]In 2011, the US government rolled out its "[URL="http://www.whitehouse.gov/sites/default/files/rss_viewer/international_strategy_for_cyberspace.pdf"]International Strategy for Cyberspace[/URL]," which reminded us that "interconnected networks link nations more closely, so an attack on one nation’s networks may have impact far beyond its borders." An [URL="http://www.nytimes.com/2012/06/01/world/middleeast/obama-ordered-wave-of-cyberattacks-against-iran.html?pagewanted=2&_r=1&seid=auto&smid=tw-nytimespolitics&pagewanted=all"]in-depth report today from the [I]New York Times[/I][/URL] confirms the truth of that statement as it finally lays bare the history and development of the [URL="http://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2011/07/how-digital-detectives-deciphered-stuxnet-the-most-menacing-malware-in-history/"]Stuxnet virus[/URL]—and how it accidentally escaped from the Iranian nuclear facility that was its target.The article is adapted from journalist David Sanger's forthcoming book, [I]Confront and Conceal: Obama’s Secret Wars and Surprising Use of American Power[/I], and it confirms that both the US and Israeli governments developed and deployed Stuxnet. The goal of the worm was to break Iranian nuclear centrifuge equipment by issuing specific commands to the industrial control hardware responsible for their spin rate. By doing so, both governments hoped to set back the Iranian research program—and the US hoped to keep Israel from launching a pre-emptive military attack.The code was only supposed to work within Iran's Natanz refining facility, which was air-gapped from outside networks and thus difficult to penetrate. But computers and memory cards could be carried between the public Internet and the private Natanz network, and a preliminary bit of "beacon" code was used to map out all the network connections within the plant and report them back to the NSA.That program, first authorized by George W. Bush, worked well enough to provide a digital map of Natanz and its industrial control hardware. Soon, US national labs were testing different bits of the plan to sabotage Natanz (apparently without knowing what the work was for) using similar centrifuges that had come from Libya's Qadaffi regime. When the coders found the right sets of commands to literally shake the centrifuges apart, they knew that Stuxnet could work.When ready, Stuxnet was introduced to Natanz, perhaps by [URL="http://arstechnica.com/business/2012/04/stuxnet-worm-reportedly-planted-by-iranian-double-agent-using-memory-stick/"]a double agent[/URL].

[QUOTE]Getting the worm into Natanz, however, was no easy trick. The United States and Israel would have to rely on engineers, maintenance workers and others — both spies and unwitting accomplices — with physical access to the plant. “That was our holy grail,” one of the architects of the plan said. “It turns out there is always an idiot around who doesn’t think much about the thumb drive in their hand.”
In fact, thumb drives turned out to be critical in spreading the first variants of the computer worm; later, more sophisticated methods were developed to deliver the malicious code.[/QUOTE]

When Barack Obama came to office, he continued the program--called "Olympic Games"—which unpredictably disabled bits of the Natanz plant even as it told controllers that everything was normal. But in 2010, Stuxnet escaped Natanz, probably on someone's laptop; once connected to the outside Internet, it did what it was designed not to do: spread in public. The blame game began about who had slipped up in the coding.“We think there was a modification done by the Israelis,” one of the briefers told the president, “and we don’t know if we were part of that activity.”
Mr. Obama, according to officials in the room, asked a series of questions, fearful that the code could do damage outside the plant. The answers came back in hedged terms. Mr. Biden fumed. “It’s got to be the Israelis,” he said. “They went too far.”
Once released more widely, the Stuxnet code was found and then disassembled by security researchers.
[B]
Please don't follow our example[/B]

As the International Strategy for Cyberspace notes, these sorts of electronic attacks are serious business. The US in fact reserves the right to use even military force to respond to similar attacks. "All states possess an inherent right to self-defense, and we recognize that certain hostile acts conducted through cyberspace could compel actions under the commitments we have with our military treaty partners," says the report. "We reserve the right to use all necessary means—diplomatic, informational, military, and economic—as appropriate and consistent with applicable international law."Yet the US had just gone on the cyber-attack, and everyone knew it. Speculation has long swirled around government-backed hackers from nations like China and Russia, especially, who have been suspected of involvement in espionage, industrial trade secret theft, and much else. Would something like Stuxnet damage US credibility when it complained about such attacks? (China has long adopted the "you do it too!" defense on Internet issues, especially when it comes to censoring and filtering of Internet content.)Obama was at least aware of the the likely answer—yes—but pressed ahead, even accelerating the Olympic Games program.

[QUOTE][Obama] repeatedly expressed concerns that any American acknowledgment that it was using cyberweapons — even under the most careful and limited circumstances — could enable other countries, terrorists or hackers to justify their own attacks. “We discussed the irony, more than once,” one of his aides said.[/QUOTE]

Stuxnet is old news by now. Even the [URL="http://arstechnica.com/security/2012/05/spy-malware-infecting-iranian-networks-is-engineering-marvel-to-behold/"]newly discovered "Flame" malware[/URL] was developed some time ago. While details about these two targeted attack packages are finally emerging, the next generation of attack tools has no doubt been developed and likely deployed.[/QUOTE]
[URL]http://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2012/06/confirmed-us-israel-created-stuxnet-lost-control-of-it/[/URL]
Lets just NOT mess with cyber warfare now you idiots.

[MrEndangered]

[quote]The goal of the worm was to break Iranian nuclear centrifuge equipment by issuing specific commands to the industrial control hardware responsible for their spin rate[/quote]

Thank god we don't live in a centrifuge-punk alternative universe.

[EmZajex]

I personally think all this has gotten too complicated. Disputes should be settled by the leaders of the country having breakdancing competitions

[DoomsDayDan]

[QUOTE=EmZajex;36155321]I personally think all this has gotten too complicated. Disputed should be settled by the leaders of the country having breakdancing competitions[/QUOTE]

Or basketball matches

[Lizzrd]

Quake 3 matches.

[MrEndangered]

Tampon Javelin.

[jordguitar]

[QUOTE=Lizzrd;36155381]Quake 3 matches.[/QUOTE]

I do not think any of our elected officials are good at quake.

[EmZajex]

[QUOTE=d00msdaydan;36155342]Or basketball matches[/QUOTE]

All hail emperor Shaq!

[IMG]http://i.imgur.com/snvao.jpg[/IMG]

[Apocalypsewaffle]

Holy shit, you'd think they'd find a safer way to shut down Iran's nuclear program other then messing with the goddamn [I]manufacture units[/I]

That could end very badly

[Mr.T]

Sounds like something out of a techno-thriller.

[Madman_Andre]

[QUOTE=d00msdaydan;36155342]Or basketball matches[/QUOTE]
PVP battles in EVE Online
:v:

[VengfulSoldier]

Except that Stuxnet is harmless unless you have the specific call functions on your computer to do it.

So this whole fear of spreading is silly.

[Recurracy]

[QUOTE=jordguitar;36155419]I do not think any of our elected officials are good at quake.[/QUOTE]
lolfag uninstall de gaem u sux blowbama
stfu hollande fag think ure hot shit bein presdnt of farnce

[img]http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-QIZ0rU_M6KA/Th7vyOPF7GI/AAAAAAAAGGg/AjnDMMTrJnU/s1600/Crying+Obama+-+Copy.png[/img]
dis is u rite nao bahhahh

[editline]1st June 2012[/editline]

So instead of talking it over like responsible presidents, they decide to pull this off. That's just fantastic. If Iran wants to, they can blow things way out of proportion now.

[Ylsid]

[QUOTE=MendozaMan;36155451]Holy shit, you'd think they'd find a safer way to shut down Iran's nuclear program other then messing with the goddamn [I]manufacture units[/I]

That could end very badly[/QUOTE]

Exactly, then the US government gets the chance to nuke its enemies without actually launching a missile.

[BloodYScar]

So they admitted creating it, and targeting Iran with it? Isnt that an act of war?

[Trunk Monkay]

Sounds like project 2501

[tier56]

[QUOTE=jordguitar;36155419]I do not think any of our elected officials are good at [b]video games in general[/b][/QUOTE]

Fix'd.

[Dlaor-guy]

[QUOTE=Trunk Monkay;36155783]Sounds like project 2501[/QUOTE]
More like Skynet.

[Zillamaster55]

I thought this was common knowledge...

[MrEndangered]

[QUOTE=Zillamaster55;36155884]I thought this was common knowledge...[/QUOTE]

For Iranian spies, sure.

Wait a minute.

[Shibbey]

[QUOTE=tier56;36155839]Fix'd.[/QUOTE]

I'd honestly like to see world leaders play Civilization together. Could be interesting.

[ThePinkPanzer]

[QUOTE=Ylsid;36155705]Exactly, then the US government gets the chance to nuke its enemies without actually launching a missile.[/QUOTE]

Yes because the US is a bloodthirsty empire that gladly nukes people.

LOLUSOWITTEH

[FluD]

[url=http://i.imgur.com/m9HyZ.png]Confirmed: US and Israel created Skynet, lost control of it[/url]

[Drsalvador]

this is why we can't have nice things

[Occlusion2018]

Stuxnet is an absolutely fascinating bit of code though.

[smeismastger]

[QUOTE=BloodYScar;36155773]So they admitted creating it, and targeting Iran with it? Isnt that an act of war?[/QUOTE]

Looking back at news section and how people went full retard about Iran last year, I'd like to see the same foaming morons to try and justify this and make Iran look the evil of all things in the process, [I]again[/I].

[mac338]

[QUOTE=Occlusion;36156430]Stuxnet is an absolutely fascinating bit of code though.[/QUOTE]

if oil(1)
{
print("WMD");
}

[Ataso]

[QUOTE=VengfulSoldier;36155542]Except that Stuxnet is harmless unless you have the specific call functions on your computer to do it.

So this whole fear of spreading is silly.[/QUOTE]

I think a lot of the fear is someone else getting a　hold of it and altering the code so that it can harmfull to normal users.

[Apocalypsewaffle]

[QUOTE=mac338;36156527]if oil(1)
{
print("WMD");
}[/QUOTE]

More like

Do while oil=true
{
print("Here be reasons to fuck shit up");
execute Peacefulnegotiations.exe;
}
Loop

[S31-Syntax]

[QUOTE=mac338;36156527]if oil(1)
{
print("WMD");
}[/QUOTE]

if oil(0)
{
print("Wave Dick");
}