STUXNET- THE COMPUTER VIRUS THAT ALMOST TRIGGERED WORLD WAR3

Now a days, new pieces of softwares and malicious code have propped up, those that are hidden deep within the actual software and can go undetected by ordinary firewalls and antivirus kits.

What is this malicious thing?

It is a piece of code, generally called a computer worm that is about 500 kilobytes in size and is capable of infecting not only the mother computer but also the shared networks and devices. Stuxnet, the most insidious computer worm is 20 times more complex than any other virus and it could give impression to the monitor that everything was running fine.

Where was it first detected?
                               
It was first detected to be in databases of traffic control systems, nuclear power plants, and factories. Then in 2010, the virus had attacked about 14 of the biggest industrial areas of Iran. The antivirus biggies like Kaspersky have called it the "Pearl Harbor of the Cyber World".

How does the worm spread?

The spread and attack of Stuxnet have three distinct phases:

• It primarily attacked machines that run Microsoft's Windows OS and spread through USB drives inserted into the computers.
• Then it looks for the seimens step7 software  which is used in industries to operate and control centrifuges  and destroy them after gaining access.
• Finally, it could take over the entire system by taking control of the programmable logic controllers.

It's real purpose and how it was taken down:

Stuxnet could derail and disrupt trains, spike water supplies to poisonous levels, and even take down entire power stations. But this time Kaspersky was prepared and were able to somewhat contain the spread and attack of these malware .

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Lipsa Alkananda