when was the stuxnet virus created

What is the Stuxnet virus?

Stuxnet reportedly ruined almost one-fifth of Iran's nuclear centrifuges. Targeting industrial control systems, the worm infected over 200,000 computers and caused 1,000 machines to physically degrade.

When did Stuxnet start spreading?

Kaspersky Lab experts at first estimated that Stuxnet started spreading around March or April 2010, but the first variant of the worm appeared in June 2009. On 15 July 2010, the day the worm's existence became widely known, a distributed denial-of-service attack was made on the servers for two leading mailing lists on industrial-systems security.

Who created the Stuxnet worm?

It's now widely accepted that Stuxnet was created by the intelligence agencies of the United States and Israel. The classified program to develop the worm was given the code name "Operation Olympic Games "; it was begun under President George W. Bush and continued under President Obama.

How did Iran respond to the Stuxnet virus?

In response to the infection, Iran assembled a team to combat it. With more than 30,000 IP addresses affected in Iran, an official said that the infection was fast spreading in Iran and the problem had been compounded by the ability of Stuxnet to mutate.

When did Stuxnet begin?

June 2009Kaspersky Lab experts at first estimated that Stuxnet started spreading around March or April 2010, but the first variant of the worm appeared in June 2009.

How long did it take to develop Stuxnet?

Kaspersky Lab's Roel Schouwenberg estimated that it took a team of ten coders two to three years to create the worm in its final form.

How many zero days did Stuxnet use?

four zero-day vulnerabilitiesAccording to Ryan Naraine of ZDNet, the Stuxnet worm—discovered in 2010—used four zero-day vulnerabilities. The Stuxnet worm is famous for damaging Iran's nuclear infrastructure.

How much money did Stuxnet cost?

US$1 millionThe Stuxnet virus cost an estimated US$1 million (Dh3.

What language is Stuxnet written in?

Stuxnet was written using Assembly language you might check a documentary that is recently released that says zero days.

Is Stuxnet still a threat?

A decade after Stuxnet, SafeBreach Labs researchers discovered new zero-day vulnerabilities connected to the threat, which they unveiled at Black Hat USA 2020. The threat of Stuxnet is still alive, thanks to the discovery of new zero-day vulnerabilities connected to an old Microsoft Windows flaw.

Is zero days a true story?

Zero Days tells the story of Stuxnet, a computer virus discovered in 2010 and likely commissioned by the US and Israeli governments to target Iran's nuclear program. The film paints a haunting picture of digital warfare.

How much damage did Stuxnet cause?

Its objective was to stealthily manipulate the speed of the sensitive enrichment centrifuges — causing attrition rather than blatant physical destruction. The Stuxnet worm reportedly infected more than 200,000 machines in 14 Iranian facilities and may have ruined up to 10% of the 9,000 centrifuges in Natanz.

Who created Stuxnet?

It's now widely accepted that Stuxnet was created by the intelligence agencies of the United States and Israel. The classified program to develop the worm was given the code name "Operation Olympic Games "; it was begun under President George W. Bush and continued under President Obama. While neither government has ever officially acknowledged developing Stuxnet, a 2011 video created to celebrate the retirement of Israeli Defense Forces head Gabi Ashkenazi listed Stuxnet as one of the successes under his watch.

How long did it take to make Stuxnet?

Kaspersky Lab's Roel Schouwenberg estimated that it took a team of ten coders two to three years to create the worm in its final form.

How does Stuxnet work?

When it infects a computer, it checks to see if that computer is connected to specific models of programmable logic controllers (PLCs) manufactured by Siemens. PLCs are how computers interact with and control industrial machinery like uranium centrifuges. The worm then alters the PLCs' programming, resulting in the centrifuges being spun too quickly and for too long, damaging or destroying the delicate equipment in the process. While this is happening, the PLCs tell the controller computer that everything is working fine, making it difficult to detect or diagnose what's going wrong until it's too late.

What is similar to Stuxnet?

Several other worms with infection capabilities similar to Stuxnet, including those dubbed Duqu and Flame, have been identified in the wild, although their purposes are quite different than Stuxnet's. Their similarity to Stuxnet leads experts to believe that they are products of the same development shop, which is apparently still active.

What is the purpose of suxnet?

Its purpose was not just to infect PCs but to cause real-world physical effects.

Who is the director of the Security Technology and Response group at Symantec?

Stuxnet source code. Liam O'Murchu, who's the director of the Security Technology and Response group at Symantec and was on the team there that first unraveled Stuxnet, says that Stuxnet was "by far the most complex piece of code that we've looked at — in a completely different league from anything we’d ever seen before.".

Was Stuxnet intended to spread beyond the Iranian nuclear facility?

It was at that point that the U.S. gave the go-head to unleash the malware. Stuxnet was never intended to spread beyond the Iranian nuclear facility at Natanz. The facility was air-gapped and not connected to the internet.

What is the target of Stuxnet?

This combination indicated to analysts that the likely target of Stuxnet was nuclear installations in Iran —either a uranium-enrichment plant at Naṭanz or a nuclear reactor at Būshehr or both—a conclusion supported by data showing that, of the approximately 100,000 computers infected by Stuxnet by the end of 2010, more than 60 percent were located in Iran.

Did Iran have a virus?

Meanwhile, the Iranian government declared that a foreign virus had infected computers at certain nuclear facilities but had caused only minor problems. The consensus among experts was that Iran’s problems were far from minor; some speculated that the country’s nuclear program may have suffered a serious setback.

Was Stuxnet a cyber weapon?

By taking over and disrupting industrial processes in a significant sector of a sovereign state, Stuxnet was a truly offensive cyber weapon, a significant escalation in the growing capability and willingness of states and state-sponsored groups to engage in cyber war.

Did Iran get attacked by the Stuxnet worm?

Subscribe Now. Though it was impossible to verify that the Stuxnet worm had caused those difficulties, it became clear to cybersecurity experts that Iran had suffered an attack by what may have been the most sophisticated piece of malware ever written.

When was Stuxnet first discovered?

Stuxnet was first identified by the infosec community in 2010, but development on it probably began in 2005. Despite its unparalleled ability to spread and its widespread infection rate, Stuxnet does little or no harm to computers not involved in uranium enrichment.

How long did it take to make Stuxnet?

Kaspersky Lab's Roel Schouwenberg estimated that it took a team of ten coders two to three years to create the worm in its final form.

What is a suxnet?

Stuxnet is an extremely sophisticated computer worm that exploits multiple previously unknown Windows zero-day vulnerabilities to infect computers and spread. Its purpose was not just to infect PCs but to cause real-world physical effects. Specifically, it targets centrifuges used to produce the enriched uranium that powers nuclear weapons and reactors.

What is similar to Stuxnet?

Several other worms with infection capabilities similar to Stuxnet, including those dubbed Duqu and Flame, have been identified in the wild, although their purposes are quite different than Stuxnet's. Their similarity to Stuxnet leads experts to believe that they are products of the same development shop, which is apparently still active.

What was the purpose of the Stuxnet?

The US and Israeli governments intended Stuxnet as a tool to derail, or at least delay, the Iranian program to develop nuclear weapons.

Who was the first person to unravel Stuxnet?

Liam O'Murchu, who's the director of the Security Technology and Response group at Symantec and was on the team there that first unraveled Stuxnet, says that Stuxnet was "by far the most complex piece of code that we've looked at, in a completely different league from anything we’d ever seen before."

Who created the suxnet?

Who created Stuxnet? It's now widely accepted that Stuxnet was created by the intelligence agencies of the United States and Israel. The classified program to develop the worm was given the code name "Operation Olympic Games"; it was begun under President George W. Bush and continued under President Obama.

When was Stuxnet discovered?

All the anti-virus programs detect and remove Stuxnet from Windows systems. Stuxnet was first discovered in late June, although there's speculation that it was released a year earlier. As worms go, it's very complex and got more complex over time.

How many computers have been infected by Stuxnet?

It's already infected more than 50,000 Windows computers, and Siemens has reported 14 infected control systems, many in Germany. (These numbers were certainly out of date as soon as I typed them.) We don't know of any physical damage Stuxnet has caused, although there are rumors that it was responsible for the failure of India's INSAT-4B satellite in July. We believe that it did infect the Bushehr plant.

What happens if Stuxnet doesn't find a vulnerability?

If it doesn't find one, it does nothing. If it does, it infects it using yet another unknown and unpatched vulnerability, this one in the controller software. Then it reads and changes particular bits of data in the controlled PLCs. It's impossible to predict the effects of this without knowing what the PLC is doing and how it is programmed, and that programming can be unique based on the application. But the changes are very specific, leading many to believe that Stuxnet is targeting a specific PLC, or a specific group of PLCs, performing a specific function in a specific location--and that Stuxnet's authors knew exactly what they were targeting.

How does Stuxnet work?

Here's what we do know: Stuxnet is an Internet worm that infects Windows computers. It primarily spreads via USB sticks, which allows it to get into computer s and networks not normally connected to the Internet. Once inside a network, it uses a variety of mechanisms to propagate to other machines within that network and gain privilege once it has infected those machines. These mechanisms include both known and patched vulnerabilities, and four "zero-day exploits": vulnerabilities that were unknown and unpatched when the worm was released. (All the infection vulnerabilities have since been patched.)

How does a virus spread?

It primarily spreads via USB sticks, which allows it to get into computers and networks not normally connected to the Internet. Once inside a network, it uses a variety of mechanisms to propagate to other machines within that network and gain privilege once it has infected those machines.

Who is responsible for the Stuxnet worm?

As the story goes, the Stuxnet worm was designed and released by a government--the U.S. and Israel are the most common suspects--specifically to attack the Bushehr nuclear power plant in Iran. How could anyone not report that? It combines computer attacks, nuclear power, spy agencies and a country that's a pariah to much of the world. The only problem with the story is that it's almost entirely speculation.

Who is Bruce Schneier?

My guess is that Stuxnet's authors, and its target, will forever remain a mystery. Bruce Schneier is a security technologist and the chief security technology officer of computer security firm BT.

How many zero day exploits did Stuxnet have?

Schouwenberg was most impressed by Stuxnet's having performed not just one but four zero-day exploits, hacks that take advantage of vulnerabilities previously unknown to the white-hat community. “It's not just a groundbreaking number; they all complement each other beautifully," he says. “The LNK [a file shortcut in Microsoft Windows] vulnerability is used to spread via USB sticks. The shared print-spooler vulnerability is used to spread in networks with shared printers, which is extremely common in Internet Connection Sharing networks. The other two vulnerabilities have to do with privilege escalation, designed to gain system-level privileges even when computers have been thoroughly locked down. It's just brilliantly executed."

Who reverse engineerd Stuxnet?

Before they knew what targets Stuxnet had been designed to go after, the researchers at Kaspersky and other security firms began reverse engineering the code, picking up clues along the way: the number of infections, the fraction of infections in Iran, and the references to Siemens industrial programs, which are used at power plants.

Why did Eugene Kaspersky ask Schouwenberg to study math?

A few years after that first overture, Schouwenberg e-mailed founder Eugene Kaspersky, asking him whether he should study math in college if he wanted to be a security specialist. Kaspersky replied by offering the 17-year-old a job, which he took. After spending four years working for the company in the Netherlands, he went to the Boston area. There, Schouwenberg learned that an engineer needs specific skills to fight malware. Because most viruses are written for Windows, reverse engineering them requires knowledge of x86 assembly language.

What is the worm that infected Iran?

Recognition of such threats exploded in June 2010 with the discovery of Stuxnet, a 500-kilobyte computer worm that infected the software of at least 14 industrial sites in Iran, including a uranium-enrichment plant. Although a computer virus relies on an unwitting victim to install it, a worm spreads on its own, often over a computer network.

What is the creeper virus?

Creeper, an experimental self-replicating viral program, is written by Bob Thomas at Bolt, Beranek and Newman. It infected DEC PDP-10 computers running the Tenex operating system. Creeper gained access via the ARPANET, the predecessor of the Internet, and copied itself to the remote system, where the message “I'm the creeper, catch me if you can!" was displayed. The Reaper program was later created to delete Creeper.

Can a USB drive be infected with stuxnet?

If a worker stuck a USB thumb drive into an infected machine, Stuxnet could, well, worm its way onto it, then spread onto the next machine that read that USB drive. Because someone could unsuspectingly infect a machine this way, letting the worm proliferate over local area networks, experts feared that the malware had perhaps gone wild across the world.

Who helped unravel Stuxnet and its kin in the most sophisticated family of Internet worms ever discovered?

Cybersleuth: Roel Schouwenberg, of Kaspersky Lab, helped unravel Stuxnet and its kin in the most sophisticated family of Internet worms ever discovered.

Why was Stuxnet so dangerous?

Experts call Stuxnet an incredibly complex piece of code and the world's first cyberweapon. It may have physically degraded nearly 1000 Iranian centrifuges. Stuxnet worked by infecting the programmable logic controllers (PLCs) that controlled the centrifuges and sabotaging them.

Why is Stuxnet so hard to detect?

Stuxnet was also hard to detect because it was a completely new malware, an emerging threat with no known signatures. In addition, Stuxnet exploited multiple zero-day vulnerabilities, which are unfixed software security flaws.

What was the Stuxnet attack in Iran?

According to the book Countdown to Zero Day: Stuxnet and the Launch of the World’s First Digital Weapon, in 2010, visiting inspectors from the Atomic Energy Agency were surprised to see many of Iran’s centrifuges failing. Neither the Iranians nor the inspectors could fathom why the Siemens-made equipment, designed to enrich uranium powering nuclear reactors, was malfunctioning so catastrophically.

What is a suxnet?

Stuxnet is a malicious computer worm that became infamous in its use to attack Iranian nuclear facilities. That attack made global news headlines in 2010 when it was first discovered. As Malwarebytes' Senior Director of Threat Intelligence Jérôme Segura said in his article Stuxnet: new light through old windows, "Very few pieces of malware have garnered the same kind of worldwide attention as Stuxnet."

What was the most significant cybersecurity incident in 2021?

One of the most notable cybersecurity incidents of 2021 was a ransomware attack that shut down the largest fuel pipeline in the US for nearly a week. It was later determined that a single compromised password enabled the attack. Other ransomware attack targets during the year included the world’s largest meatpacker and the largest ferry service in Massachusetts.

Does Stuxnet have a rootkit?

Stuxnet also sent fake industrial process control sensor signals to hide its presence and malicious activity. In addition, Stuxnet was also able to drop a rootkit. Rootkits can give a threat actor control of a system at its core. With a rootkit installation, Stuxnet was more capable of furtive action.

Is Stuxnet a virus?

Many people call the malware "Stuxnet virus" even though it’s not a computer virus — it’s a computer worm . Although both viruses and worms are types of malware that can corrupt files, a computer worm can be far more sophisticated. For starters, unlike a virus, a worm doesn’t require human interaction to activate. Instead, it self-propagates, sometimes prolifically after it enters a system. Besides deleting data, a computer worm can overload networks, consume bandwidth, open a backdoor, diminish hard drive space, and drop other dangerous malware like rootkits, spyware, and ransomware.

Who Created Stuxnet?

See more on csoonline.com

What's The Purpose of Stuxnet?

Stuxnet Source Code

Stuxnet Documentary