Iran claims computer worm is Western plot

The malicious computer code...has also emerged in India, Indonesia and the U.S.

BUT...

Iran claims computer worm is Western plot

It sounds like Iran's paranoia level is reaching that of North Korea. Anything that happens there is automatically the fault of the US and the West.

Go for DNA test and confirm, yeah Western bug.

Iran claimed Tuesday that a computer worm found on the laptops of several employees at the country’s nuclear power plant is part of a covert Western plot to derail its nuclear program.

This news was last week's news.

The malicious computer code, designed to take over industrial sites such as the Bushehr nuclear plant, has also emerged in India, Indonesia and the U.S. Iran said the Stuxnet worm infected personal computers of Bushehr employees but not the plant’s main systems.

Israeli unit is behind Iran Nuclear plant attack, according to an Indian (Times of India)newspaper report last Friday. I guess we'll never know but to PC-users in the countries mentioned, download a free anti-virus program now....

It sounds like Iran's paranoia level is reaching that of North Korea. Anything that happens there is automatically the fault of the US and the West.

I'm more surprise they avoided suggesting Israel as the main source of the virus-- but the Stuxnet worm (a computer virus that spread like wildfire as one suggested) has targeted not just Iranian facilities but also German firms and the Chinese.

"Iran claims computer worm is Western plot"

Duh! What else whould it be? And by the looks of it, it's a diabolical one, lol.

What is a laptop doing being connected to the same network that a nuclear system control center runs? Seriously?

Control center networks need to be 100% isolated and any data or software introduced to the network needs to be validated AND scanned. If you can't keep your control system network secure, then you have no business running nuclear anything. This applies to coal and hydro-elected power plants and any other industrial control network too.

This is simple stuff that anyone inside a control center knows.

It probably is a Western plot, and three cheers to that. As far as conspiracy theory goes, the one that says that Stuxnet was created in Israel is pretty plausible.

Israel has a huge motiviation to slow down Iran`s nuclear bomb project, and the Jewish state has excellent programmers -- unlike the Iranian mullah state, which puts more stress on religious indoctrination than on science and learning.

Probably is a western plot. More wars will be faught with computer viruses in the future.

Wait wait wait... isn't Iran in the export ban list? How come to they run Windows? Stuxnet it!

Iran’s Vice President Ali Akbar Salehi said it was not because of Stuxnet. He said a leak was delaying the start.

Whew! Just a leak...

TumbleDry, I doubt any respectable system will ever use that failure of a Windows system

They got the virus from porn sites.

WilliB It probably is a Western plot, and three cheers to that.

So you sponsor terrorism WilliB? This kind of cyber-attack has been called a terrorist attack by the US and Obama is considering having a "kill-switch" to turn off the net (yes, you read that correctly) if this type of attack happens in the US.

HEADLINE: Obama Can Shut Down Internet For 4 Months Under New Emergency Powers (in response to Stuxnet)

‘Kill switch’ bill approved, moves to Senate floor. President Obama will be handed the power to shut down the Internet for at least four months without Congressional oversight if the Senate votes for the infamous Internet ‘kill switch’ bill, which was approved by a key Senate committee yesterday and now moves to the floor.

hydro-elected power plants and any other industrial control network too.

I'm sorry, who elected what? Water elected the power plants? Ok...

Stuxnet does not affect anyone (even if installed on your system) unless it's part of a system controlling Siemens PLC board. freakin' relax! Uh, I mean, unless your systems are connected to such devices...

As for its being cyberwarfare. Yes it is. And I'm glad it targeted the entity it targeted FTW!

m5c32 >As for its being cyberwarfare. Yes it is.<

I see. If the US does a cyber attack it is "cyberwarfare" but if another country does the same thing to the US it is "cyberterrorism".

I see. If the US does a cyber attack it is "cyberwarfare" but if another country does the same thing to the US it is "cyberterrorism".

Yeah, now you understand. Except you see, we don't know who did it. I don't think it was any one entity. Iranian insiders are needed, Russian contractors are involved and programmers --where that occurred is anyone's educated guess.

And in case you don't realise the nuance of the wording. Cyberterrorism seeks to cause casualties and instability. Cyberwarfare seeks to neutralise the intended target. Stuxnet isn't set up to blow up the plant (and cause casualties.) It's set-up to render it inoperable; it's inoperability leads to less instability in the region as well (i.e. it derails their nuclear programme) It's win-win (well, except for the Theocracy in Iran.)

"Iran says" no longer carries any validity. Iran says the holocaust didn't happen. Iran says that the US blew up the twin towers. Iran says that no one has landed on the moon. More than likely, it was an act from Iranians opposed to the current government.

m5c32-what makes you think that America should dictate who can Or can not run a nuclear facility? America has over 2000 nuclear warheads,my question is ,are nuclear warheads for toy games? Certainly,this is a western plot that will derail and come back to hunt them just as HIV/AIDS did.

m5c32-what makes you think that America should dictate who can Or can not run a nuclear facility?

"facility" eh? Like one which facilitates nuclear warheads?

-First you're presuming it was work of the US. Unless you have insider info and all bets are off. Outsiders just don't know who is behind it.

-Second. You act as if there is only one nation or entity attempting this kind of activity -hahaha!

-Third. If I had to choose whether the US or Iran's regime could "have" 2000 missiles, I'm comfortably choosing the US.

a western plot ... just as HIV/AIDS did.

Ok up and till that point I thought we had a normal interaction. Here you're going off the edge. It reminds me of my days working to go to school. I worked in a coffee shop. One of the semi-regular punters had brought in a sketch book. For some reason asked me if I wanted to take a look at his sketches. I said, sure, ok. Well, they were sketches of "alien ships". No, not imaginary ones. To him they were real. I kind of never said "hi" to him again.

I hope it was Mossad; but I reckon it was Russia.

Simonfox:

Slowing down Iran´s nuke program is not "terrorism", it is self-defense. Get your terminology right.

I see. If the US does a cyber attack it is "cyberwarfare" but if another country does the same thing to the US it is "cyberterrorism".

Read an article on wired about the use of the word 'cyber' when it comes to War On Terror. Sadly I can no longer cpy+paste the link because of those damn phishers in JT :(

"Iran says" no longer carries any validity. Iran says the holocaust didn't happen. Iran says that the US blew up the twin towers. Iran says that no one has landed on the moon. More than likely, it was an act from Iranians opposed to the current government.

mmm... if true why then would they attack the Chinese, Indonesians, Indians and above all German firms. Seems odd to me. What's likely though is that the attackers are a combination of nerdy anarchists and cyber criminals just after the online dollar. Ever heard of the so-called 'Iranian Revolutionary Front' group of hackers that caused havoc to Chinese netizens this year? Possibly related. And despite their name, the group got zilch to do with Iranian politics (nor for their opposition to nuclear armament)-- but just a bunch of online scumbags.

m5c32:I worked in a coffee shop. One of the semi-regular punters had brought in a sketch book. For some reason asked me if I wanted to take a look at his sketches. I said, sure, ok. Well, they were sketches of "alien ships". No, not imaginary ones. To him they were real. I kind of never said "hi" to him again.

heh...reminds of the time I was waiting at the station and an older Japanese guy walked up to me. He said hello. He asked me if I was enjoying my stay in Japan. Seemed very nice and polite. So he asks me where I'm from. Then he says, "I'm from the moon." and takes out a flask and takes a sip. Seemed to completely normal right up to that point...heh.