Middle East Focus: A Virtual Attack on Iran? a Decoy?.........

Arabia Deserta

A Virtual Attack on Iran? a Decoy?.........

Walking on water

“But which one? Microsoft said in August that more than 45,000 computers around the world had been infected by Stuxnet. An analysis by Symantec, a computer-security firm, found that 60% of infected machines were in Iran, 18% in Indonesia and 8% in India. It could be just a coincidence that Iran has been hardest hit. But if Stuxnet has been deliberately aimed at Iran, one possible target is its Bushehr nuclear reactor, though there is no specific evidence for this. It is true that according to this screenshot from UPI, the Bushehr reactor is controlled by Siemens systems, including the WinCC software that Stuxnet targets. Dr Langner speculates that it could have been infected via AtomStroyExport, the Russian firm that is building the plant. Bushehr has been dogged by problems for years and its opening was recently delayed once again. But given the long history of delays, there is no need to invoke a computer worm to explain the latest one. A rival theory is that the target was Iran's uranium-enrichment plant at Natanz, and that Stuxnet successfully shut down some of its centrifuges in early 2009……” The Economist

Some media reports (e.g. BBC, Guardian) claim that the sophistication of this virus can only be achieved by an agency of a nation-state (Israel). Maybe so. Or maybe it is a feint, a bluff, a trick to get some Iranian reaction, a response that would give away much more than intended.
Cheers
mhg

m.h.ghuloum@gmail.com