Stuxnet targeted uranium enrichment specifically – research


16 Nov 2010

New research fuelling suspicions that Iran has a nuclear arms program in operation has said that the Stuxnet worm was made to specifically target equipment used in uranium enrichment.

The research points to the worm targeting several systems with frequency converters and replaces commands with malicious instructions, according to Reuters.

The research, carried out by maker of cyber security software Symantec, contains evidence that apparently supports theories that the worm was designed to sabotage Iran’s Tehran uranium enrichment program, which many Western countries believe exists to create nuclear weapons.

The researchers believed that the worm aimed to destroy Iran’s gas centrifuges, which could produce enriched uranium for both fuel and weaponry.

The origin of the Stuxnet worm has yet to be pinpointed.