Stuxnet attack on Iran’s nuclear program (2010)
Stuxnet is a sophisticated worm that emerged in 2010 and is widely believed to be a collaborative effort between multiple nations. Its primary objective was to sabotage Iran’s nuclear enrichment program, specifically targeting the centrifuges used to enrich uranium.
Stuxnet specifically targeted Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition (SCADA) systems, more specifically the Siemens Step7 software, which is used to program Industrial Control Systems (ICS), including Programmable Logic Controllers (PLCs). The PLCs control the actual machinery in an industrial environment, such as the centrifuges in Iran’s nuclear facilities, which Stuxnet targeted.
Stuxnet employed a multi-stage attack process that combined multiple techniques to infiltrate and manipulate ICS. The target was the Siemens SCADA systems used to control the centrifuges at Iran’s Natanz uranium enrichment facility.
This is how the attack...