Stuxnet : pandora’s box or stroke of genius?
By Cédric Pierre-Louis on Thursday 3 March 2011, 01:58 - Computer & High-Tech - Permalink
This tuesday I will attend to a conference about Stuxnet, a Windows computer worm discovered in July 2010 that targets industrial software and equipment. This worm is one of the most sophisticated and powerful ever created. Different variants of Stuxnet targeted five Iranian organizations, with the probable target widely suspected to be uranium enrichment infrastructure in Iran.
Stuxnet has also affected some computers in Indonesia, India, United States, Australia, United Kingdom, Malaysia and Pakistan. This worm has been recently in the spotlights because of obvious "cyberwar" issues.
The discovery of the Trojan horse software Stuxnet in June 2010 focused global attention on the Middle East, notably on Israel and Iran, and set off a massive information war.
Strangely enough, every participant has benefited in some way, from the supposed victims to the alleged aggressors, as well as the great number of experts making all kinds of declarations on the subject.
Yet beyond the smoke screens and dubious certainties, Stuxnet is a real warning for the industrialized world. By penetrating in a backhanded manner the most sensitive data bases and control systems on the planet, the worm has shattered the established order of things.
Nuclear power, factories, oil pipelines, water distribution and electricity networks….no critical infrastructure appears to be beyond striking range. Some experts are now bringing up a possible danger for embedded airborne systems.
A panel of French, American and Israeli experts will bring a host of original and even controversial ideas to the conference in Paris on March 8. Stuxnet: a Pandora’s box or stroke of genius ?
(*) Stuxnet: Pandora’s box or stroke of genius : Conference (French & English) organized by NANOJV in partnership with IELovePME & Advanced Technologies Group HEC.
Tuesday 8th March 2011, 6.30 pm – 8.00 pm French Time. Atelier BNP PARIBAS. Don’t miss it.