Inside Story

A new frontier in cyber war?

The Stuxnet virus has infected computers in India, Indonesia, and in Iranian nuclear facilities.

Stuxnet has been described as a new class of computer virus, the most refined piece of malware ever discovered, the world’s first cyber super-weapon.
 
It is now the focus of a computer virus conference in Canada and a cyber security drill in the US. 
 
It is the first publicly-known worm capable of taking control of industrial systems. It could disable the safety systems at a nuclear power plant, contaminate fresh water supplies at a treatment facility, or take over control of oil or gas pipelines.
 
The virus has allegedly been found on many computers in India, Indonesia – and also in an Iranian nuclear facility, and poses unknown threat to other countries.
 
So who is behind this powerful piece of malware? And is the world witnessing a new frontier in cyber war?

Joining the programme are Rik Ferguson, the senior security advisor for Trend Micro, Marc Rotenberg, the executive director of the Electronic Privacy Information Center, and Reza Mohammadi, a computer expert.

This episode of Inside Story aired from Thursday, September 30.