Stuxnet is a Windows-specific computer worm first discovered in June 2010.
Microsoft Malware Protection Center reported, " What is unique about Stuxnet is that it utilizes a new method of propagation. Stuxnet will infect any USB drive that is attached to a system, and for this reason, has been classified as a "worm". Microsoft Corp. and Siemens AG have issued patches to close the security gap.
According to NPR, it's a cyber superweapon, apparently capable of causing power plants or pipelines to blow up.
The Director of Iran’s Information Technology Council, Mahmoud Liaii, was quoted as saying, " An electronic war has been launched against Iran".
Experts dissecting the computer worm suspected of being aimed at Iran’s nuclear program have determined that it was precisely calibrated in a way that could send nuclear centrifuges wildly out of control.
Their conclusion, while not definitive begins to clear some of the fog around the Stuxnet worm, a malicious program detected earlier this year in computers, primarily in Iran, but also in India, Indonesia and other countries.
Computer analysts say Stuxnet does its damage by making quick changes in the rotational speed of motors, shifting them rapidly up and down. According to the nuclear analysts, these fluctuations are a recipe for disaster among the thousands of centrifuges spinning in Iran to enrich uranium, which can fuel reactors or bombs.
In a spooky flourish, the worm ends the attack with a command to restore the currents to the perfect operating frequency for the centrifuges - which by that time would presumably be destroyed.
Russian digital security company Kaspersky Labs released a statement that described Stuxnet as a "working and fearsome prototype of a cyber-weapon that will lead to the creation of a new arms race in the world."
One of the most sospisticated pieces of malware ever detected was probably targeting "high value" infrastrucure in Iran, experts have told the BBC.
There is disagreement over its effectiveness. According to a computer security specialist in Washington, the Stuxnet payload appeared to have ben written by a team of highly paid programmers, while the "dropper" program that delivered the program reflected an amateur level of expertise. He said that the fact that the Stuxnet was detected and had spread widely in a number of countries was an indicator that it was a failed operation.
However, according to an in-depth report by Mark Clayton of the Christian Science Monitor in late November, Suuxnet appears to be a quantum leap in cyber-war, not just a bug inserted to steal information but one that takes over industry controls and waits to destroy the facility
The Chief of the Department of Home Security’s Cybersecurity center in Virginia, Sean McGurk, told a Senate Committee that the worm was a "game changer" because of the skill with which it was composed and the care with which it was geared toward attacking specific types of equipment.
Another computer specialist from Germany, Ralph Langer, who presented his findings at a conference a month ago, stated, " This is not about espionage, as some have said, this is a 100 percent sabotage attack".
Computer specialists generally agree that Stuxnet is not the work of a single person but rather a team of sophisticated programmers and an organization with substantial financial resources..
Current and former U.S. officials said, according o the Wall Street Journal, that the U.S. would be a less likely suspect because it uses offensive cyberoperations infrequently and usually only under specific circumstances when officials are confident the operation will affect only its target.
Israel has always been suspect. Although Israel has not publicly commented on the Stuxnet attack, it has since confirmed that cyberwarfare is now among the pillars of its defense doctrine, with a military intelligence unit set up pursue both offensive and defensive options, according to a Reuters article.
Forbes reported that It is believed that Stuxnet’s authors and its target, will forever remain a mystery.