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Being airgapped didn't help Iran avoid Stuxnet.

by 0_____0 1y ago

sgjohnson 1y ago
That also had a HUMINT element.
- aspenmayer 1y ago
  It’s possible that the (un)timely demise of the individual involved also had a HUMINT element as well. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operation_Olympic_Games#History https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operation_Olympic_Games#Histor... > Dutch engineer Erik van Sabben allegedly infiltrated the Natanz nuclear facility on behalf of Dutch intelligence and installed equipment infected with Stuxnet. He died two weeks after the Stuxnet attack at age 36 in an apparent single-vehicle motorcycle accident in Dubai. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Erik_van_Sabben https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Erik_van_Sabben
bell-cot 1y ago
No, but it made the attacker's job 10000X more difficult.
the_af 1y ago
Defense in depth is still valuable.
aspenmayer 1y ago
To be fair, it didn’t help the rest of us avoid Stuxnet, either. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operation_Olympic_Games#History https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operation_Olympic_Games#Histor... > A programming error later caused the worm to spread to computers outside of Natanz. When an engineer "left Natanz and connected [his] computer to the Internet, the American- and Israeli-made bug failed to recognize that its environment had changed." The code replicated on the Internet and was subsequently exposed for public dissemination. IT security firms Symantec and Kaspersky Lab have since examined Stuxnet. It is unclear whether the United States or Israel introduced the programming error. Also bearing mention is Flame, which is often left out when Stuxnet comes up, but which was allegedly part of the wider operation. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operation_Olympic_Games#Significance https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operation_Olympic_Games#Signif... > The Washington Post reported that Flame malware was also part of Olympic Games. https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/national-security/us-israel-developed-computer-virus-to-slow-iranian-nuclear-efforts-officials-say/2012/06/19/gJQA6xBPoV_story.html https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/national-security/us-is... | https://web.archive.org/web/20220322045917/https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/national-security/us-israel-developed-computer-virus-to-slow-iranian-nuclear-efforts-officials-say/2012/06/19/gJQA6xBPoV_story.html https://web.archive.org/web/20220322045917/https://www.washi... | https://archive.is/6hRl7 https://archive.is/6hRl7 > “We are now 100 percent sure that the Stuxnet and Flame groups worked together,” said Roel Schouwenberg, a Boston-based senior researcher with Kaspersky Lab. > The firm also determined that the Flame malware predates Stuxnet. “It looks like the Flame platform was used as a kickstarter of sorts to get the Stuxnet project going,” Schouwenberg said. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flame_(malware) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flame_(malware)
apstls 1y ago
There is likely a small number of people who could collectively list out the events it _did_ help Iran avoid.

Being airgapped didn't help Iran avoid Stuxnet.

sgjohnson 1y ago

That also had a HUMINT element.

aspenmayer 1y ago
It’s possible that the (un)timely demise of the individual involved also had a HUMINT element as well. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operation_Olympic_Games#History https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operation_Olympic_Games#Histor... > Dutch engineer Erik van Sabben allegedly infiltrated the Natanz nuclear facility on behalf of Dutch intelligence and installed equipment infected with Stuxnet. He died two weeks after the Stuxnet attack at age 36 in an apparent single-vehicle motorcycle accident in Dubai. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Erik_van_Sabben https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Erik_van_Sabben

bell-cot 1y ago

No, but it made the attacker's job 10000X more difficult.

the_af 1y ago

Defense in depth is still valuable.

aspenmayer 1y ago

To be fair, it didn’t help the rest of us avoid Stuxnet, either. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operation_Olympic_Games#History https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operation_Olympic_Games#Histor... > A programming error later caused the worm to spread to computers outside of Natanz. When an engineer "left Natanz and connected [his] computer to the Internet, the American- and Israeli-made bug failed to recognize that its environment had changed." The code replicated on the Internet and was subsequently exposed for public dissemination. IT security firms Symantec and Kaspersky Lab have since examined Stuxnet. It is unclear whether the United States or Israel introduced the programming error. Also bearing mention is Flame, which is often left out when Stuxnet comes up, but which was allegedly part of the wider operation. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operation_Olympic_Games#Significance https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operation_Olympic_Games#Signif... > The Washington Post reported that Flame malware was also part of Olympic Games. https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/national-security/us-israel-developed-computer-virus-to-slow-iranian-nuclear-efforts-officials-say/2012/06/19/gJQA6xBPoV_story.html https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/national-security/us-is... | https://web.archive.org/web/20220322045917/https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/national-security/us-israel-developed-computer-virus-to-slow-iranian-nuclear-efforts-officials-say/2012/06/19/gJQA6xBPoV_story.html https://web.archive.org/web/20220322045917/https://www.washi... | https://archive.is/6hRl7 https://archive.is/6hRl7 > “We are now 100 percent sure that the Stuxnet and Flame groups worked together,” said Roel Schouwenberg, a Boston-based senior researcher with Kaspersky Lab. > The firm also determined that the Flame malware predates Stuxnet. “It looks like the Flame platform was used as a kickstarter of sorts to get the Stuxnet project going,” Schouwenberg said. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flame_(malware) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flame_(malware)

apstls 1y ago

There is likely a small number of people who could collectively list out the events it _did_ help Iran avoid.