A New 007 Weapon ???

So often in the past things what we have seen fantasized has become reality. Anyone recall Dick Tracy's watch? It had two-way communication capabilities. How about microchips? They were once portrayed only in spy novels and movies. Now, we implant them in our pets.

Those of us who use computers routinely are familiar with malware, spyware, viruses and such things as worms. We know they can range from being a simple nuisance to inflicting massive damage on a computer's system or files. But what about a worm that is an actual cyber weapon created to cross from the digital realm to the physical world  - to destroy something.

Top cyber security experts say they have identified the world's first known cyber super weapon. The cyber worm named Stuxnet. After spending nearly four months reverse engineering Stuxnet they believe it was designed specifically to destroy a real world target. Could it be a factory, a refinery or just maybe a nuclear power plant?

This is not science fiction or a prelude to an upcoming television series or a movie. It is real. Ralph Langner, a German cyber-security researcher recently told the Christian Science Monitor "Until a few days ago, people did not believe a directed attack like this was possible." Today (Tuesday) he presented his findings at a conference of industrial control system security experts in Rockville, Maryland.

The cyber worm first become known in June and in July was considered to be an ultrasophisticated piece of work. Its author or authors are unknown as is its origin. What is known is in August researchers discovered Stuxnet seemed to be able to take control of systems it had infected and do whatever it might be programmed to do with them.

Senior U.S. cyber-security experts have confirmed Langner's findings. After reverse engineering large amounts of Stuxnet's code they concluded it is a precision, military-grade cyber missle deployed early last year to seek out and destroy an unknown real-world target of extreme importance.

"This is not about espionage." the German researcher said, "This is a 100% sabotage attack."

Michael Assanti, former cyber-security research chief with the U.S. Department of Energy's Idaho National Laboratory stated: "What we are seeing with Stuxnet is the first view of something new that doesn't need outside guidance by a human but can still take control of your infrastructure."

Several other cyber-security experts agree with the classification of this cyber worm as a weapon.

So far it is estimated some 45,000 industrial control systems have been infected. One Canadian expert says majority of those infected are in Iran, Pakistan, India and Indonesia. However, some systems have been attacked in Germany, Canada and the United States.

Researching this has been like following a really good spy novel. It seems the epicenter of attacks has been Iran. Some reports claim the U.S. is acknowledged to have such cyber-war-fighting capability and Israel is also reported to have a formidable offensive cyber capability.

 Was the expected August start-up of the Bushehr nuclear power plant in Iran really delayed by "hot weather" as one official stated?

Perhaps truth may well be stranger than fiction.