Stuxnet is a sophisticated computer worm that exploited multiple Windows operating systems zero-day weaknesses to infect computers and propagate through the network. The InfoSec community first identified it in 2010. Despite its ability to spread at a high rate, the virus did little or no harm to computers not involved in uranium enrichment. Stuxnet was the first weapon to be made entirely out of computer code. There have been no clear sources that indicated who designed it. With the evolution of technology, the main problem is who will redesign Stuxnet.
Stuxnet posed many threats to the Iranian nuclear power plants. The major one being unauthorized access to the company's information. Stuxnet sent information about the operations conducted in the nuclear power plants to the attackers before it was activated. Another threat posed by Stuxnet is unauthorized data manipulation, where it involved changing and displaying the wrong monitor information to the scientists so that the destruction of the centrifuges remained undetected. Data is a critical part of any organization, and when exposed to the wrong people, it can be used to cause physical harm and even loss of lives. Industrial activities and projects like factories, dams, and electrical grids may be a target in a cyberwar.
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Cyberwarfare is the modern type of war in which countries engage. Each country is busy engaging in ways to protect itself from cyberwars. Even though the Nuclear power plants targeted by Stuxnet were air-gapped, the virus still got its way into the facility, which calls for even more strict policies for cybersecurity. The best policy that can be implemented is regular system users' training to prevent an attack like Stuxnet. Dividing the network into different partitions and making the network's critical part inaccessible without strong user authentication methods. Also, installing virus detection software will help detect a virus even before it infects the systems. As the technology grows exponentially, more sophisticated viruses may be developed, but the best prevention measures will be available.
