The Stuxnet Computer Worm: Harbinger of an Emerging Warfare Capability
Paul K. Kerr Analyst in Nonproliferation John Rollins Specialist in Terrorism and National Security Catherine A. Theohary Analyst in National Security Policy and Information Operations December 9, 2010
Congressional Research Service 7-5700 www.crs.gov R41524
CRS Report for Congress
Prepared for Members and Committees of Congress
The Stuxnet Computer Worm: Harbinger of an Emerging Warfare Capability
Summary
In September 2010, media reports emerged about a new form of cyber attack that appeared to target Iran, although the actual target, if any, is unknown. Through the use of thumb drives in computers that were not connected to the Internet, a malicious
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Such concerns have generally involved the infiltration of a computer system for purposes of degrading its capabilities, manipulating data, or using the device to launch cyber attacks on other systems. The Stuxnet worm, 3 which was first reported in June 2010 by a security firm in Belarus, appears to be the first malicious software (malware) designed specifically to attack a particular type of ICS: one that controls nuclear plants, whether for power or uranium enrichment. The malware attacks and disrupts a Microsoft Windows-based application that is employed by a particular ICS produced by the German company Siemens. 4 The worm can be spread through an air-gapped network by a removable device, such as a thumb drive, and possibly through computers connected to the Internet, and it is often capable of remaining hidden from detection. It is difficult to determine the geographic origin of the malware, as cyber attackers often employ
Dahl, E. J. (2004). Warning of Terror: explaining the failure of intelligence against terrorism. The fletcher School. Retrieved Sep 21, 2011, from, .
Finding and looking at a found universal serial bus (USB) dongle (Figure 1) may be a way to snoop at a stranger’s personal belongs, or an attempt to return the property back to the original owner. However, these USB dongles can pose numerous potential hazards to a PC/Laptop/Network environment. Some of these hazards are the injection of Trojan viruses and worms that can cripple a corporate network via injection of other viruses or the introduction of accesses for outsides.
Crawford, Kamillia . "To Catch a terrorist." University of Florida Stars, 20 Mar. 2016, p. 59, To Catch a Terrorist: The Improper Use of Profiling in U.S. Post-9/11 Counterterrorism 2016 Kamillia Crawford University of Central
Course Objective (CO) – 3 Compose a historical timeline reflecting methods and outcomes used by national and international law enforcement and military agencies to counter and combat terrorism.
Ralph Langner’s article on the Stuxnet worm discusses the hardware, distribution and targets of the attack. He also goes into detail regarding the outlook of future attacks and what we can do to prevent them.
Bellavita Christopher is the Director of Programs for the Naval Postgraduate School’s Center for Homeland Defense and Security. Also, from 1998 to 2002, he was the planning coordinator for the Utah Olympic Public Safety Command. The author focuses on the fact that homeland security faces a variety of threats. Many factors such as the economy, weapons of mass destruction and a lack of moral compass pose potential challenges to homeland security (Bellavita, 2009). The terrorist attacks such as the one in Mumbai, the economic meltdown, the disaster on the borders remain potential malefactors to the U. S. homeland. And to no surprise, the threats are gradually transforming into a more complex tactics. Bellavita takes aim towards a realistic assessment
Burnham, G. (2010, November 19). Introduction to National Security Action Memorandum Number 273. Retrieved October 11, 2014.
In 1995, Kevin Jack Riley and Bruce Hoffman published their study Domestic Terrorism: A National Assessment of State and Local Preparedness to examine the issues and problems state and local law enforcement agencies faced while dealing with the threat of terrorism in the United States. More specifically, researchers sought to identify how agencies at those two different levels perceived the terrorist threat in the United States, as well as learning how those agencies manage the threat of terrorism and plan and organize their response to actual incidents (Riley & Hoffman, 1995). In order to collect the data needed, the study was broken down into three separate research phases: (1) a national survey of state and local law enforcement agencies designed to assess how those law enforcement agencies perceive the threat of terrorism in the United States and to identify potential anti- and counter-terrorism programs currently used by those jurisdictions; (2) the selection of ten locations, chosen after completion of survey, as case studies to examine in detail how different jurisdictions have adapted to the threat of terrorism and to explain further the anti- and counter-terrorism programs used by those jurisdictions; and (3) the identification of programs used by state and local law enforcement agencies to counter potential future threats along with the development of a prospective future research agenda (Riley & Hoffman, 1995).
The missions held by homeland security and homeland defense are vital to the protection of the country against acts of terror. While relatively young programs, much has been achieved in the homeland security and homeland defense missions. To continue this success, the programs must evolve as the world evolves, and more specifically, the terrorists. To stay relevant, the Department of Homeland Security, its subordinate agencies, and the Department of Defense must evolve with the threats in a way that does not impede on civil liberties.
Two of the common known attacks on computing systems are the deployment of computer viruses and malware.
INFORMATION SHARING, AND TERRORISM RISK ASSESSMENT, H.R. Doc. No. 109, 2d Sess., at 129 (2006).
Prevalent to the current trend now is the dependency of the society on Information technology and communication systems. Every aspect of human life is one way or the other linked and controlled by information technology tools. The importance of information technology cannot be over emphasized as its unavailability could lead to a form of disaster or the other. Pivotal infrastructures like finance, healthcare, education and security are driven by information technology. However, information technology and its benefits are accompanied by vulnerabilities and risks that can be exploited by people with the necessary technical skills. Individuals like ‘Hackers’ and ‘Cyber Terrorist’ can cause disruption to information systems, commit financial fraud and also attack computers and networks. These attacks and disruptions could result to violence against people and properties. In some cases, death, serious injuries and severe economic loss could occur as a result of these attacks.
Cyber warfare is a battle without causalities, a war waged only by written words, fought digitally by those who are bent at disrupting the infrastructure of a nation built on sweat, labor and concrete. Digital battles that are being fought not for money, not for a simple website defacement proclaiming you are the most ‘l33t hax0r on the interwebs’. One of the most major, yet under reported example of this; a lowly worm named Stuxnet. A worm, by the most mundane of definitions, is a self-replicating program, usually malicious, and whose
By the year of 2016, investments in online security are expected to reach $86bn (Contu et al, 2012). Although this might seem a large sum of money, it is considered necessary since there is an increase in online risks from all over the world. Professional hackers develop malware on a global scale and on a 24/7 basis. Hackers have five objectives when spreading malware over the Internet: to infect/distribute, to steal, to persist, to control and for intelligence (Morris, 2010).
For years since the gradual progression of terrorism in the 90s rationalist approaches such as Realism and Liberalism had seemed fitting to understand the war on terror and provided what was thought at the time as a clear understand for how terrorism is carried out and perhaps the behavior of terrorists themselves. However in the end of the Cold War the traditional IR scholars had a rude awaken regarding how they had predicted the outcome of the Cold war. They had unfortunately failed to predict its ending.