WarSclerotic

Iran was hit by a serious cyber attack. The Stuxnet computer worm designed  to take over systems of industrial plants has seriously affected the Iranian nuclear facilities .

A fifth of the centrifuges at the uranium enrichment plant in Natanze was out of order while the rest continue to function at only 20% capacity.

The Stuxnet is the first known worm to target critical industrial infrastructure. Computer security experts believe that it was a deliberate attack but they give no answer to the question – who has done it.

Several cyber experts point to the sophistication of the worm as an argument that it might be the work of a state program. According to the Sunday Times weekly there are several countries, which may be interested in such an attack. In particular, the US, Great Britain and Israel, which are tough on the nuclear program of Iran. Though Teheran insists on an exclusively peaceful character of its nuclear program, the West does not believe it.  Under George Bush Jr the US executed very strong pressure on Iran and it seemed that an operation similar to the Iraqi mission would come soon. Fortunately that did not happen. Under Barack Obama, who was awarded Nobel Peace Prize, the pressure on Iran has been strictly political or economic.

The Stuxnet attack shows once again that such a thing as cyber security requires the joint efforts of all states.  Here is a comment by Maxim Emm, the head of the auditing department of the information protection company Informzashchita.

“Russia has proposed to the US to sign a pact on mutual cyber non-agression. Why the US?  – because it has been very active both in cyber protection and cyber attacks. The US is not in any rush to sign this agreement looking for different excuses.”

While the EU, India and China are supporting Russia’s proposals on cyber security Washington prefers to develop its own cyber potential.  Known facts such as the cyber attach in Natanze and drafting Iranian nuclear scientists adds credibility to the Sunday Times’ version of events. However there is no direct proof and such versions as self sabotage by Iran have a right to exist.