Stuxnet super virus – the end of the world as we know it ?

The Stuxnet super virus is a new breed of viruses which is worrying governments across the globe. It has already disrupted the Iran Nuclear programme earlier this year. Latest reports from various news sources suggest it is now on the black market and could be used by terrorists.

Sky News have reported that the worm, which is the first used to damage targets in the ‘real world' could be used to target any physical target which relies on computers. Lets be honest, this means anything in 2010 as computers are such an integral part of our every day society.

A senior IT security source told Sky “We have hard evidence that the virus is in the hands of bad guys – we can't say any more than that but these people are highly motivated and highly skilled with a lot of money behind them. And they have realised that this kind of virus could be a devastating tool.”

Will Gilpin an IT security consultant in the UK said “You could shut down the police 999 system. You could shut down hospital systems and equipment. You could shut down power stations, you could shut down the transport network across the United Kingdom.”

Many experts have already assumed that Stuxnet may have been created by sources much higher than the usual ‘net virus' which can be easily blocked with security updates. There has even been debate that the Stuxnet attack on the Bushehr nuclear installation in Iran has been orchestrated by a country.

KitGuru says: Hold onto your hats, we could be in for a bumpy ride.

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