Seems like only yesterday that Iran was trying to figure out why one of its nuclear enrichment facilities went on the fritz. Nope. That was 2010. Since then, we have learned a little about Stuxnet, the virus that was leaked into the computer systems of the facility – a virus so stealthy and sophisticated that it’s thought to have been created by government intelligence. And now Siemens, the company that makes the software used at the plant (and thousands of other industrial plants across the planet) has come up with a fix. What Stuxnet ultimately did was override commands in the plant, telling machines to spin out of control and never turn off, eventually burning out their motors. Siemens says that it is now able to overcome that loophole. But trouble is always just around the corner.
The BBC writes:
The Siemens update comes as security firm F-Secure received an email believed to have been sent by a scientist working at Iran’s Atomic Energy Organization.
In the message, the scientist said its plants at Natanz and Qom have been hit again by a worm.
There’s a lot happening in the world. Through it all, Marketplace is here for you.
You rely on Marketplace to break down the world’s events and tell you how it affects you in a fact-based, approachable way. We rely on your financial support to keep making that possible.
Your donation today powers the independent journalism that you rely on. For just $5/month, you can help sustain Marketplace so we can keep reporting on the things that matter to you.
