Stuxnet was the most sophisticated virus ever discovered. It's target was a nuclear enrichment facility in Iran. This virus was successfully able to destroy numerous centrifuges. Hear who did it and why. Special thanks to Kim Zetter for joining us this episode. You can find more about Stuxnet from her book Count Down to Zero Day. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
In this episode of Darknet Diaries, Jack Recider explores the evolution of warfare, from the army and navy of the 18th century to the air force of the 20th century and the creation and launch of cyber weapons in the 21st century that are capable of destroying equipment in another country electronically, giving rise to the fifth domain of warfare that is information.
Oak Ridge National Lab has a secret nuclear intelligence division that, along with the United Nations and the U.S. government, monitors nuclear programs and investigates their efficiency, such as the centrifuges used in Iran's illicit nuclear program.
When the exit valves of centrifuges are closed and gas pours in without a way out, the pressure inside the centrifuge increases and can cause spinning centrifuges to spin out of control, which can be dangerous when used to enrich uranium.
The virus Stuxnet was initially programmed to attack specific systems, but due to a mistake in the network, it spread to many others, infecting the computers that controlled the centrifuges.
The Stuxnet Worm was a complex piece of malware created by the US and Israel to disrupt Iran's nuclear program. It ended up spreading out of control and getting exposed but it ultimately set a precedent for cyber warfare.
The US government is hoarding zero-day exploits which they use as weapons to sabotage nations, instead of informing vendors to patch security holes. This has caused nations like Iran to develop their own cyber armies, leading to an increase in cyber attacks.