Source code for the Stuxnet, the malware that targeted Iran’s uranium enrichment plant recently, has reportedly made it onto underground forums, a springboard from which it has the potential to cause mass havoc.
According to a report on Sky News, this development poses threats to “power station, food distribution networks, hospitals, traffic lights and even dams” should the malware fall into the wrong hands.
The news network goes on to label the malware as a “devastating tool” that could potentially shut down the 999 system.
The issue of cyber security has been hotly discussed of late, not least due to the recent attack on the Tehran nuclear plant. The UK, US and EU have all been experimenting with false attacks to prepare themselves in case of a genuine threat.
Modern blended threats such as Aurora, Stuxnet, and Zeus have the ability to infiltrate organisations through a variety of co-ordinated tactics, usually a combination of two or more and legacy defences, such as firewalls, are no longer able to fend off the cyber threat.