By: Carl in Jerusalem
What do you all think of giving Stuxnet - and its unnamed inventors - the Nobel Peace Prize?Stuxnet, perhaps the most sophisticated, complex worm virus ever designed, invaded the computer control systems of Iran’s atomic facilities. Washington’s Institute for Science and International Security concluded that Stuxnet infected as many as 30,000 institutional computers involved in the project and outright broke 1,000 Iranian IR-1 centrifuges at the Natanz uranium-enrichment facility.Stuxnet would certainly be a more worthy recipient than the 2009 recipient. It's certainly done more to bring peace to the world than he has done (before or since).
World security experts opined that Stuxnet was “amazing” and “groundbreaking,” even a “prime example of clandestine digital warfare.” If the malwarfare were not enough, an assault on Iran’s atomic scientists was also an integral part of the campaign. As recently as Nov. 29, quantum physicist Majid Shahriari was eliminated in Tehran – causing the next 5,000 people engaged in weaponizing Iran to perhaps think twice about their career paths.
A key lesson has clearly been learned: Attack effectively and keep quiet. The temporary derailment of Iran’s atomic program is the greatest news story not reported on in 2010. The West can sleep just a little better tonight as a result, comforted by the amazing results secured by a smart and civic-minded Lone Ranger who might be considered for the next Nobel Peace Prize. But nobody for sure knows who that quiet masked man was. Or what he did. Or why he did it.
Heh.
