Skip to main content
  1. Home
  2. Computing
  3. News

Symantec releases new report on Stuxnet, warns energy sector to beware

Molly McHugh
By

stuxnetCyber security firm Symantec released its quarterly report yesterday, revealing that targeted attacks to steal company data have increased. The report specifically focuses on the Hydraq Trojan and the Stuxnet worm, and the damage they caused and concern for future attacks involving each.

“Past targeted attacks…are important because they demonstrate that there are vulnerabilities in critical infrastructure sectors – specifically, in the power and energy sectors. The Stuxnet attacks were the first ones that specifically targeted ICS (industrial control systems). This is significant because it is an actual event of what was formerly just a plausible scenario.”

Related Videos

In an interview with CNET, Symantec executive Ralph Langer says the targeted attacks using the Stuxnet virus were always intended “to destroy [Iran’s] centrifuges but also to lower the output of enriched uranium.” The security firm notes that these types of targeted attacks can easily be tied back to politics and government-led operations. The hardest hit facility was the Natanz nuclear plant in Iran, Langer says. The company also revealed earlier this year that of the more than 100,000 targeted organizations, 60 percent were Iranian. Additionally, 12,000 of the viruses were targeting only five hosts, industrial organizations located in the country.

And as news that the Stuxnet virus was intended to take down Iranian nuclear facilities surfaces, The Telegraph is reporting that Israel is inching towards claiming responsibility as the source. Israel has been a suspect, but according to the report, a video celebrating the military success of lieutenant general Gabi Ashkenazi’s features direct reference to his involvement with the Stuxnet worm. The video means the IDF may have unwittingly tied  itself closer to Stuxnet.

Aside to being increasingly careful with sensitive information, Symantec advises companies and organizations wary of attacks to limit Internet use. The report mentions energy and power industries are of particular concern. This warning comes shortly after a report from McAfee revealed that Chinese hackers may have launched cyberattacks targeting US energy firms last year.

Editors' Recommendations

Topics
Hackers stole passwords from 140,000 payment terminals using malware
The Wiseasy point of sale system on a table.

An Android-based payment system has been affected by hackers who have been able to infiltrate its database and gain access to 140,000 payment terminals globally, according to TechCrunch.

The brand, Wiseasy, is well known in the Asia-Pacific region, with its payment terminals used in restaurants, hotels, retail outlets, and schools. Its accompanying Wisecloud cloud service is used for remote management and configuration for its customer's terminals.

Read more
Hackers now exploit new vulnerabilities in just 15 minutes
A depiction of a hacker breaking into a system via the use of code.

Hackers are now ​​moving faster than ever when it comes to scanning vulnerability announcements from software vendors.

Threat actors are actively scanning for vulnerable endpoints within a period of just 15 minutes once a new Common Vulnerabilities and Exposures (CVE) document is published, according to Palo Alto's 2022 Unit 42 Incident Response Report.

Read more
If you install one piece of software on your PC, make it this
Brothers bonding looking at phone safely thanks to MTP.

From viruses and ransomware to cyber criminals and online snoops, there are so many online threats today that the internet can seem like a digital minefield. These dangers are only exacerbated when you’ve got multiple users on your network, such as in a family home or professional office, as this creates multiple potential attack vectors for bad actors to exploit. If bolstering your network and internet-connected devices against today's online threats seems too exhausting to even think about (let alone execute) and you’re looking for a comprehensive and affordable all-in-one security solution that makes things easy, then McAfee Total Protection has everything you need. Here’s how it works and what it can do for you.

McAfee is one of those household names that everybody almost instantly recognizes, and it's a name that's long stood at the top of many lists of the best antivirus software (including ours). But let's face it: In this day and age, you have a lot more to worry about than just viruses. The term "computer virus" almost seems like a quaint holdover from the '90s and early aughts, with today's online landscape featuring a myriad of threats like spyware, ransomware, rootkits, adware, malicious trackers, and more permeating the internet. If you don't know what some of these words even mean, then constantly shielding yourself and your family against such threats can feel like pushing a boulder uphill.

Read more