IB Consultancy

In June 2010 Stuxnet was found, a malware computer worm targeting SCADA systems. These systems are mainly used in large factories and plants, including nuclear facilities. At the same time, an incident happened in the uranium enrichment plant Natanz in Iran. Some experts believe this was related to the computer worm, while others argue that the Bushehr nuclear facility was the intended target. Still, experts do agree on the fact that the worm was highly sophisticated and deliberately intended to disrupt real-life facilities, instead of just virtual systems. This incident may herald a new phase in cyberwarfare and cyberterrorism, because attackers no longer need to be physically present at the site of a target. Instead, attacks may be planned and executed at any given location. The origin of Stuxnet is unknown, but it was undoubtedly developed by a team of experts with considerable resources. Some experts believe Stuxnet originates from Israel. The real threat will lie with smaller groups developing the same capabilities in the future.