Stuxnet: Computer worm opens new era of warfare
In this ever-changing digital era, it seems
that a not so new but incredibly evolved form of warfare has begun before our
eyes, yet society is really not aware of it. It began in June of 2010, a small
company in Belarus after a client in Iran had complained about a software
glitch. Within a month computer security experts analyzed what became know as
Stuxnet. This was a computer virus like no other. This was beyond cutting edge
and highly sophisticated. What separates Stuxnet from all other computer
viruses was that it wasn’t looking to steal money or identities or passwords;
it was after an industrial operation and it was being spread by simple USB
thumb drives. After tracking it they found that the highest number of
infections had been Iran. Experts figured out it were trying to damage an
Iranian nuclear plant and concluded that it set the Iranian program back by
several years. What if no one had caught on to it, and who could be the next
target?
We’ve entered a new
stage of conflict where we use cyber weapons to create physical destruction.
This has us asking our officials how safe is our own (U.S.) infrastructure? Our
clock is now literally ticking. Cyberspace is a domain of conflict, and we
could be next. Some experts claim it could be the next Pearl Harbor at the rate
it is going. With such sophisticated viruses such as Stuxnet, they can target
and literally shut down power plants, water treatment facilities, chemicals
plants and other types of plants our nation depends on. With Congress wanting
to pass the first cyber security law, after previously failing in the past
multiple times, it has become a fierce debate over whether our government
should be allowed to require the owners of certain infrastructure’s to improve
security of their computer networks. Senator Collins of Maine went as far to
state, “I can’t think of another area in homeland security where the threat is
greater and we’ve done less”.
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