An Update On Iran's Nuclear Program & The Stuxnet virus

Posted: Wed Jul 27, 2011 9:26 pm

An Update On Iran's Nuclear Program

Iran wishes to become one of the world's nuclear armed countries and has been refining uranium and developing missile technology.

It's not just Iran, I think that any country developing an atomic arsenal and joining the club has got to be a bad thing for world peace. The situation with Pakistan's nukes is tenuous as is North Korea's -who are collaborating with Iran on their ballistic missile programs.

North Korea and Iran increase collaboration on nuclear missile, report claims

Anyway, the two biggest stories of the last couple of years are the Stuxnet virus and the havoc it caused and the assassinations of Irani scientists.

Who Is Killing Iran's Nuclear Scientists?

Quote:

ABC News
By MATTHEW COLE and MARK SCHONE
July 26, 2011

The Americans deny everything.

The Israelis also deny everything -- but with a smile, according to a senior U.S. official.

Regardless of who is killing Iran's nuclear scientists -- the Israelis, the Americans or the Iranians themselves -- there's no question that researchers and officials linked to Iran's alleged nuclear weapons program keep turning up dead.

Since 2007, four different scientists allegedly associated with the nation's nuclear weapons program have died via bomb, gunshot or poisoning, while a fifth barely survived a car bombing.

Somebody has been doing targeted killings in an attempt to cripple the Irani nuke program. I wonder who is doing that?

Well, it seems that the Stuxnet virus never really was succesfully removed from the computers driving Iran's nuclear refinement program.

Stuxnet returns to bedevil Iran's nuclear systems

Quote:

Intelligence sources report that the Stuxnet malworm which played havoc with Iran's nuclear program for eleven months was not purged after all. Tehran never did overcome the disruptions caused by Stuxnet or restore its centrifuges to smooth and normal operation as was claimed. Indeed, Iran finally resorted to the only sure-fire cure, scrapping all the tainted machines and replacing them with new ones.

Iran provided confirmation of this Tuesday, July 19 in an announcement that improved and faster centrifuge models were being installed.

Iran would clearly not have undertaken the major and costly project of replacing all its 5,000-6,000 centrifuges with new ones if they were indeed functioning smoothly.

Wired Magazine has an excellent article about how researchers across the globe teamed up to crack one of the most complex and sophisticated viruses ever.

How Digital Detectives Deciphered Stuxnet, the Most Menacing Malware in History

The article is really long but here are some excerpts:

Quote:

when the IAEA later reviewed footage from surveillance cameras installed outside the cascade rooms to monitor Iran’s enrichment program, they were stunned as they counted the numbers. The workers had been replacing the units at an incredible rate — later estimates would indicate between 1,000 and 2,000 centrifuges were swapped out over a few months.

The question was, why?
it would be nearly a year before the inspectors would learn of this. The answer would come only after dozens of computer security researchers around the world would spend months deconstructing what would come to be known as the most complex malware ever written — a piece of software that would ultimately make history as the world’s first real cyberweapon.

It sounds like a Hollywood movie script or something.

Quote:

the virus infecting their client’s computer and realized it was using a “zero-day” exploit to spread. Zero-days are the hacking world’s most potent weapons: They exploit vulnerabilities in software that are yet unknown to the software maker or antivirus vendors. They’re also exceedingly rare; it takes considerable skill and persistence to find such vulnerabilities and exploit them. Out of more than 12 million pieces of malware that antivirus researchers discover each year, fewer than a dozen use a zero-day exploit.

In this case, the exploit allowed the virus to cleverly spread from one computer to another via infected USB sticks. The vulnerability was in the LNK file of Windows Explorer, a fundamental component of Microsoft Windows. When an infected USB stick was inserted into a computer, as Explorer automatically scanned the contents of the stick, the exploit code awakened and surreptitiously dropped a large, partially encrypted file onto the computer, like a military transport plane dropping camouflaged soldiers into target territory.

It was later discovered that Stuxnet's code contained not one but four zero-day exploits. Someone went to a whole lot of trouble to make this virus and no one really is sure who made it. The US, Israel, someone else? Did the German company Siemans, the producer of the computer controls for the motors used in the centrifuges, assist whoever it was?

Liam O Murchu, a researcher for Symatec, was the first person to closely examine this new virus. He soon realized how unique it was. He spent months pouring over the code to try to understand it.

Quote:

Stuxnet contained multiple components, all compartmentalized into different locations to make it easy to swap out functions and modify the malware as needed.

What most stood out, though, was the way the malware hid those functions. Normally, Windows functions are loaded as needed from a DLL file stored on the hard drive. Doing the same with malicious files, however, would be a giveaway to antivirus software. Instead, Stuxnet stored its decrypted malicious DLL file only in memory as a kind of virtual file with a specially crafted name.

It then reprogrammed the Windows API — the interface between the operating system and the programs that run on top of it — so that every time a program tried to load a function from a library with that specially crafted name, it would pull it from memory instead of the hard drive. Stuxnet was essentially creating an entirely new breed of ghost file that would not be stored on the hard drive at all, and hence would be almost impossible to find.

The program burrowed into system for a couple of weeks and then sped the centrifuges up for 15 minutes, then waited 27 days at normal operation. Then it would slow them for 50 minutes. It kept repeating this 27 day cycle until the centrifuges eventually failed and flew apart from being run out of tolerance.

The beauty of the plan was that they would not all fail at once arousing too much suspicion. The whole time Stuxnet was phoning home to it's creators so they could monitor progress and tweak the virus's settings. All the while, Stuxnet is sending the proper readings for the Irani scientists to monitor. Brilliant!

Quote:

Stuxnet disabled any automated alarms that might go off in the system as a result of the malicious commands. It also masked what was happening on the PLC by intercepting status reports sent from the PLC to the Step7 machine, and stripping out any sign of the malicious commands. Workers monitoring the PLC from the Step7 machine would then see only legitimate commands on the device — like a Hollywood heist film where jewelry thieves insert a looped video clip into a surveillance camera feed so that guards watching monitors see only a benign image instead of a live feed of the thieves in action.

Iran has been slow to admit to the problems.

Quote:

on Nov. 23, Ali Akbar Salehi, head of Iran’s Atomic Energy Organization, provided what appeared to be the first acknowledgement that the worm had hit Iran’s nuclear facilities. “One year and several months ago, Westerners sent a virus to [our] country’s nuclear sites,” he told Iranian reporters, without mentioning the virus by name. He downplayed the virus’s success, however, asserting that vigilant workers had swiftly discovered the malware at its point of entry and prevented it from harming equipment.

Six days later, however, as if to mock Salehi’s statement and Iran’s skills at defending its nuclear program, the assassins on motorbikes struck the two Iranian nuclear scientists. In a press conference that day, Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad appeared to reference the virus Salehi had mentioned, and contradict him when he said that “enemies” of the state had indeed sabotaged Iran’s centrifuges with a malicious software program. “

How much this actually slowed enrichment is debatable.

Quote:

Earlier this year, the outgoing head of Israel’s Mossad said that unspecified malfunctions had set back Iran’s ability to produce a nuclear weapon until 2015. United States Secretary of State Hillary Clinton also said Iran’s nuclear program had been “slowed,” but added “[W]e have time. But not a lot of time.”

There have been some reports that the virus is back but it really was a one shot deal because now they will grow suspicious much faster when problems arise.

I'm wondering just how far should we go to prevent Iran from going nuclear. The options on the table are these:
*Inspections
*Diplomacy
*Encouraging and supporting revolt against the government
*Sanctions
*Sabotage
*Targeted assassinations of scientists
*Drone and cruise missile strikes on nuclear sites
*Air Campaign
*Full out ground war

Some of these things are obviously already happening. Stronger measures are being considered and contingencies planned.

Iran is going to acquire nuclear weapons sooner or later no matter what we do short of going in there and taking over the country and doing some more nation building. Does anyone really want to form a coalition and try that one again?

So anything we do short of that is probably going to make Iran all that more pissed at us when they finally do get a ticking warhead attached to a shiny new ICBM. Of course does anyone believe that Iran would actually fire a missile at us or anyone else when they know the US would blast them back to dust if they did? Or would they supply a bomb to a terrorist organization? They seem to have no problem with arming terrorists with any other kind of bomb they can get their hands on.

Let's face it, the real reason why Iran wants nuclear weapons is so that they will have greater influence in the region. With all the revolts of the Arab spring, Iran seeks to flex it's military might wield more influence on budding governments.

Being the biggest bully on the block and the only
nation who could boast nukes to match those of Israel would
make them an attractive ally to others in the middle east and beyond.

Many countries in the nuclear club claim their weapons are defensive and provide a deterrent to war. I have to admit, that for Iran nukes would achieve that aim. The US and it's allies would be much less inclined to tangle with Iran if they had the bomb.

Do you think that if Libya was nuclear that we would be bombing them and supporting rebels there? Would we be targeting Gaddafi if he had his finger on an atomic launch button? We would probably be sending him billions in aid instead.

I want your opinion on any of this and -- just how far we should go to stop Iran from going nuclear or should it be none of our business. They claim their program is for peaceful purposes right?

Anyway I find the whole thing fascinating and I'm interested to see how it all turns out.

Posted: Thu Jul 28, 2011 3:24 am

Oh leave them be. Those Iranians are tired and confused so just give them the bomb.

Posted: Thu Jul 28, 2011 8:42 am

whoever is continueing the fission/fusion weapon crap is a tard. The real weapon nowadays is nuclear isomer bomb. the material is part of a normal breed reactors fuel cycle and is made in a centrifuge. compact with lowlevel radiation flux it can set off a mini pit of plutonium beryllium and release a neutron blast as well as a pretty big kaboom. its the true version of the "suitcase nuke"

Posted: Thu Jul 28, 2011 7:22 pm

LORD! GARTH! wrote:

whoever is continueing the fission/fusion weapon crap is a tard. The real weapon nowadays is nuclear isomer bomb. the material is part of a normal breed reactors fuel cycle and is made in a centrifuge. compact with lowlevel radiation flux it can set off a mini pit of plutonium beryllium and release a neutron blast as well as a pretty big kaboom. its the true version of the "suitcase nuke"

Totally agreed, the cold war is done and past and the likely hood of global nuclear war is not gone but much less than it was 20-30 years ago. ICBM's are more and more becoming obsolete. I know from personal experience that here in the US we can defend a moderate possibly even now days a large scale attack. Those remembering the president Reagan era and his star wars defense system, Just because you don't really hear about it anymore, I'm thinking the last chapter of that book was how the laser's were too big for space bla bla bla bla....... well those fast tracking mirrors do the job right nice. Cool

. I have seen the mountain side open up and watched a laser fire up and come back down and destroy a fired rocket so i know it does indeed work. Wink

It's been a good 10 years since I got to play/work out on base, so allways am thinking how much further they have come. It makes my head spin at all the soldiers that have had to die just to remove a few rotten apples. WE have the ability to take out moving missiles, and our city street cameras can tell what brand of cigarette your smoking from 3 blocks away, imagine what we are really capable of, and cant help but sigh at all the loss of life because the government keeps it's real goodies under wraps. So anyway back on track I would say that any new country seeking nukes should be discouraged from doing so by any means necessary including assassination of anyone involved with trying to make nuclear weapons, even low grade dirty bombs. I mention these because these types pose the most risk form terrorist attacks. Kill em all and send the message that pursuit of this kind of technology will be dealt with a heavy hand. Exclamation

Posted: Fri Jul 29, 2011 5:48 am

I got no problem with their program, I do have a problem with their unstable radically run government that is not rational at all..

Posted: Fri Jul 29, 2011 11:47 pm

CrazyMcCool wrote:

I got no problem with their program, I do have a problem with their unstable radically run government that is not rational at all..

America, Isreal, Iran, India, Pakistan, UK, Egypt? I'm sorry, which one was stable? And not radical? Laughing

Posted: Fri Aug 05, 2011 8:52 pm

LORD! GARTH! wrote:

whoever is continueing the fission/fusion weapon crap is a tard. The real weapon nowadays is nuclear isomer bomb. the material is part of a normal breed reactors fuel cycle and is made in a centrifuge. compact with lowlevel radiation flux it can set off a mini pit of plutonium beryllium and release a neutron blast as well as a pretty big kaboom. its the true version of the "suitcase nuke"

When you can find videos on how to turn ore into yellowcake, on Youtube, you can be almost certain that the technology for "regular" nuclear bombs is pretty obsolete. I mean that in the sense that "They" wouldn't allow regular people to find out things like the video shows, if "They" knew that "They" were already a step ahead anyway. My guess is, "They're" not even using uranium anymore, more likely some super-element created in a lab, for weapons so powerful we couldn't even imagine, making firecrackers out of a-bombs. Thus, even though my conspiratorial idea has no foundation, or makes any sense, .........

Lord!Garth!, you're probably right. (I gotta stick with shorter answers that make sense!)

Posted: Sat Aug 06, 2011 8:15 am

the element is thorium, ( an isotope of it), and it is loaded into a centrifuge of "specialized geometry" two rotating cylinders one inside the other.
this will spin the individual thorium atoms on axis and create centripetal force that alters the geometry of the thorium nucleus. its like i deck of cards being puffed up into an unstable house of cards, and a little nudge causes the collapse and release of slow neutrons, that can hit critical flux and initiate a small aprox 9 ounce "pit" of a thermonuclear core. you still need a technician and a few hours of privacy to set it up, far cry from the briefcase and remote control thingie you see on 24 or other things like that, but surgical nukage, for things like ... Hoover dam, or mount rushmoore, or wall street.

Posted: Sat Aug 06, 2011 10:50 am

LORD! GARTH! wrote:

the element is thorium, ( an isotope of it), and it is loaded into a centrifuge of "specialized geometry" two rotating cylinders one inside the other.
this will spin the individual thorium atoms on axis and create centripetal force that alters the geometry of the thorium nucleus. its like i deck of cards being puffed up into an unstable house of cards, and a little nudge causes the collapse and release of slow neutrons, that can hit critical flux and initiate a small aprox 9 ounce "pit" of a thermonuclear core. you still need a technician and a few hours of privacy to set it up, far cry from the briefcase and remote control thingie you see on 24 or other things like that, but surgical nukage, for things like ... Hoover dam, or mount rushmoore, or wall street.

Fascinating and scary at the same time!

Posted: Sat Aug 06, 2011 6:24 pm

crazy made a good point.
I also consider that if those of us that had the nuclear armouries were to desist from waving them as a stick there might be a little less paranoia in the world.
Its time we actually shared knowledge and pooled resources to develop a form of nuclear energy that is beneficial and safe for all of us.
Sanctions were proven to be ineffective as far back as the 50's but we still like to play with them. It does nothing more than further alienate any possible and true collaboration. We quite happily supply other nations with weapons so that they can continue to antagonize each other and in return we take their resources as payment. That said no one here is dumb enough to say it is not so and therefore my final question is why do we allow the media to preach that the perceived enemies are so dumb that they do not realise this simple truth also.
We are all equally guilty in this farce and the division between the haves and have nots is getting wider each year not only between countries but also within our own societies.
An interesting point was raised by several high level economists and philosophers in recent times. Africa is the future and unless we help them we will by todays actions create a continent of future terrorists. People that have been denied medical help assistance and basic humanitary rights.
i am a little sick of the attitude that jungle bunnies cannot be helped when time and again it has been proven that any of these people from any geographical African location if given the chance of decent conditions and education are just as capable and as smart as any one else.
what we in the west have made and created out of many of the arab states is now happening in Africa.
Let us not forget that in the days of Khalil Gibran lebannon was a modern day paradise.
I do not state that is entirely the fault of the West but I do state that the west has a responsibility to assist other lands at the grass roots so that humanity as a whole can move toward a better understanding. All the time we support only those individuals that then turn out to be filling their own pockets and allowing their own people to suffer we by our actions of support are seen as the enemy that did nothing to help but actually by our actions promoted their suffering.
The entire Stuxnet virus has done nothing to eleviate the tension but has in fact worsened the relationship between Iran and the West.
Had we 10 or 20 years ago embarked upon a program of assistance for a safe and sustainable form of energy for such a country then the attitude would today be very different.
Quite simply only fools would bite the hand that feeds but in many respects the hand that only slaps will ultimately be bitten.

Posted: Mon Sep 05, 2011 1:23 am

Well. Iran caught a guy that killed one of it's nuclear scientists and have sentenced him to death. They claim the killer was trained and paid by Mossad.

Nice unibrow.

Quote:

Iranian Mossad spy Majid Jamali-Fashi given death for killing nuke expert

An Iranian accused of assassinating a scientist on behalf of Israel has been sentenced to death, Iran's official news agency IRNA reported on Sunday.

Majid Jamali-Fashi had pleaded guilty to murdering Massoud Ali-Mohammadi in January 2010, the first of several attacks on scientists which Iran said were the work of enemies that wished to stop it developing nuclear technology.

The prosecution said Jamali-Fashi had travelled to Israel to receive training from the Mossad intelligence agency, and had been paid $120,000 for the assassination.

Washington has denied any involvement in the murders and Israel has declined to comment.

Posted: Thu Feb 09, 2012 10:15 pm

I thought that I would update this thread even though the debate forum doesn't seem to be as popular as it once was around here.

The mystery of who has been killing Iran's nuclear scientist seems to have been solved. NBC News is reporting that unnamed US officials claim that Israel is behind the spate of killings and has been working in conjunction with a terrorist organization known as The People’s Mujahedin of Iran.

Israel teams with terror group to kill Iran's nuclear scientists, U.S. officials tell NBC News

Quote:

Deadly attacks on Iranian nuclear scientists are being carried out by an Iranian dissident group that is financed, trained and armed by Israel’s secret service, U.S. officials tell NBC News, confirming charges leveled by Iran’s leaders.

The group, the People’s Mujahedin of Iran, has long been designated as a terrorist group by the United States.

The attacks, which have killed five Iranian nuclear scientists since 2007 and may have destroyed a missile research and development site, have been carried out in dramatic fashion, with motorcycle-borne assailants often attaching small magnetic bombs to the exterior of the victims’ cars.

U.S. officials, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the Obama administration is aware of the assassination campaign but has no direct involvement.

Of course the Obama administration is quick to deny any involvement.

In other news Iran recently launched a satellite into orbit that they claim is for weather research. Of course this should probably be viewed as a step in their development of ICBM rocket technology.

Iran Launches Another Satellite

Quote:

Iran's space program deeply unsettles Western nations, which fear it could be used to develop ballistic missiles capable of carrying nuclear warheads they suspect are being developed in secret.

There is increasing speculation that Israel is considering air strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities -- an action that could possibly spark a broader conflict drawing in the United States.

The sanctions would appear to be having some effect on the situation but whether they will actually force Iran to discontinue it's pursuit of nuclear weapons remains to be seen. The US froze all Iranian assets held by banks just the other day.

United States orders new Iran sanctions

Quote:

The United States has moved to freeze assets of Iran's government and financial institutions, saying they had engaged in "deceptive practices," President Barack Obama's administration announced Monday.

The sanctions are becoming more effective as time goes on but will probably fail without more support from Asia- specifically China and India.

Iran's threat to close the strait of hormuz is laughable but that and Iran's nuclear ambitions do nothing but add to the instability in the region. It's had an effect at the gas pump as the prices I have been paying have spiked and the US doesn't even get any oil from Iran.

Iran Strait Of Hormuz Conflict: Lawmakers Step Up Threats To Close Key Oil Route

Quote:

TEHRAN, Iran — Senior Iranian lawmakers have stepped up threats that Islamic Republic warships could block the Persian Gulf's oil tanker traffic after the latest blow by Western leaders seeking to rein in Tehran's nuclear program: A punishing oil embargo by the European Union that sharply raises the economic stakes for Iran's defiance.A member of Iran's influential national security committee in parliament, Mohammad Ismail Kowsari, said Monday that the strait "would definitely be closed if the sale of Iranian oil is violated in any way." He went on warn the U.S. against any "military adventurism."

Well a lot has been happening as this story unfolds and I find it all fascinating. Most of the options that are in my poll are happening now short of all out war. Nobody wants to see that. But still I think that an Iran with a nuclear capability is a very bad thing for stability in the region and for world peace. I would be interested to hear your opinions if there are still any debaters left around here.

Posted: Thu Feb 09, 2012 11:33 pm

Before we actualy start getting on our soapboxes or our moral high horses claiming we are pissed at Iran for "possibly" (WMD's in Iraq, anyone ?) working on Nukes that could strike the innocent people in Israel we should look deep into our chests and help the "innocent children" in Syria first....

Posted: Fri Feb 10, 2012 12:47 am

Erulin wrote:

Before we actualy start getting on our soapboxes or our moral high horses claiming we are pissed at Iran for "possibly" (WMD's in Iraq, anyone ?) working on Nukes that could strike the innocent people in Israel we should look deep into our chests and help the "innocent children" in Syria first....

Hey Erulin, not trying to get on a high horse but I did watch War Horse and that was one awesome flick. I just want to discuss this topic because I find it interesting and I think that this is the greatest risk to world peace today.

As far as Iran's development of nuclear technology and the missile delivery systems that go with it, I don't think there is any "possibly" about it. Iraq and the phantom WMDs was a Bush thing and was probably a knee-jerk reaction to 9/11. I defiantly don't want to start another war but when you have an unstable and batshit crazy regime with their finger on the nuclear button that can't be good for anyone.
As far as Israel being their main target that is most likely true as they have vowed many times to wipe them off the face of the earth. However with Iran's development of missile technology Europe or even the US would not be out of their range.

Would Iran ever attack someone if they had the capability? Who knows?

I have been following the events in Syria also and I agree with you that more needs to be done there. Maybe you should start a thread about it. Its always the innocent people that suffer most when there is conflict.

Posted: Fri Feb 10, 2012 1:18 am

Quote:

I have been following the events in Syria also and I agree with you that more needs to be done there. Maybe you should start a thread about it.

There is one

Iraq had a nuke so the believed rightly or wrongly and when the world decided to act they were belittled for their efforts causing Bush to be hated by his own people, no wonder no one wants to do anything.