Stuxnet--'google it'

One of my favorite movies is "Master and Commander" starring Russell Crowe as Captain Jack Aubrey of the British Royal Navy. The movie was based on a long series of meticulously researched novels by the late Patrick O'Brian; the script incorporated elements of many of them. In the film, there is a scene in which Aubrey is holding a model of a ship that two of his crew have made, one of them having heard accounts of its construction at a Boston shipyard. Aubrey and his officers can't figure out why they've been able to inflict so little damage on this enemy ship, until they see the thickness of the hull and other innovative particulars of its design. Holding the model, he muses, "What a fascinating modern age we live in." (I think that's exact, but if not, it's close enough:))

I thought of that when I first heard of 'Stuxnet.' It is a computer worm that is generally being credited with derailing, at least temporarily, Iran's nuclear program. Apparently, it has a number of features no other malware has had, including the ability to know what systems it has penetrated and 'decide' whether or not to attack them. The worm was designed to operate in Siemens products, which are the main components in Iranian industrial facilities, including their nuclear ones. It has been discovered in a number of other countries, but Iran appears to be its target. The Iranians discovered its existence in June, but there is evidence it has been working for possibly a year. (According to what I read, the worm had to have been introduced via USB port--not over the internet.)

The Iranians have pointed accusatory fingers at Israel, the United States and India, but primarily at Israel. It is too early to tell, especially since Iran is not going to be entirely forthcoming, how much damage Stuxnet has done to their nuclear program so far, or how much continued capability it has, but if indeed Israel is responsible, it certainly answers the question of why they never bombed those facilities when it seemed there was still time to do so.

(I am not very knowledgable on the subject of computers, so if I have mischaracterized anything about Stuxnet's capabilities or methods, or used incorrect terminology, it's not surprising.)