US-Israeli Stuxnet Cyber-attacks against Iran: “Act of War”

[Purveyor]

NATO research team calls Stuxnet attack on Iran an 'act of force'

By Russia Today

A group of 20 law and technology experts has unanimously agreed that the Stuxnet worm used against Iran in 2009-2010 was a cyberattack. The US and Israel have long been accused of collaborating on the virus in a bid to damage Iran’s nuclear program.

While that accusations against Washington and Tel Aviv have never been confirmed by either government, a NATO Commission has now confirmed it as an “act of force.”

Last year anonymous government officials came forward to tell The New York Times that researchers at the Idaho National Laboratory, which is overseen by the US Department of Energy, passed technical information to Israel regarding vulnerabilities in cascades and centrifuges at Iran’s Natanz uranium enrichment plant.

That information, it is believed, was used to design the Stuxnet worm that set Iran’s nuclear program back an estimated two years.

“Acts that kill or injure persons or destroy or damage objects are unambiguously uses of force,” according to the Tallinn Manual on the International Law Applicable to Cyber Warfare, which lead author Michael N. Schmitt said was written to outline “how does existing law apply to cyberspace.”

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http://www.globalresearch.ca/us-israeli-stuxnet-cyber-attacks-against-iran-act-of-war/5328514

[Cali_Democrat]

1. Makes sense

the worm damaged the centrifuges.

[DisgustipatedinCA]

2. I really wonder how advisable it was for us to set this precedent

That's the tricky thing with precedent's--they can come back to bite you.

[Purveyor]

4. Troubling thing is it got away from 'them' and infected other countries as well.

A study of the spread of Stuxnet by Symantec showed that the main affected countries in the early days of the infection were Iran, Indonesia and India:

Country Infected computers

Iran 58.85%
Indonesia 18.22%
India 8.31%
Azerbaijan 2.57%
United States 1.56%
Pakistan 1.28%
Others 9.2%

[bananas]

6. The precedent was set a long time ago. nt

[Blue_Tires]

9. I always wondered if this stunt would set the stage for a future "cyber 9-11"

The howling in congress over it would never cease...

[Tierra_y_Libertad]

3. Would we consider an act of war if Iran did it to us or Israel?

[Purveyor]

5. Oh the war-drums would be pounding loud and clear, indeed. eom

[Tierra_y_Libertad]

8. And, flags. Lotsa flags. And, constipated looking generals showing us maps.

[Scootaloo]

7. We pretty much consider Iran's continued existence an act of war n/t