Revealed: How the Stuxnet Attack on Iranian Systems Succeeded
An Iranian mole was responsible for the placement of the Stuxnet virus on the computers of an Iranian uranium enrichment plant, Yahoo News reported Monday.
According to the report, the malware was placed in the plant in Natanz in 2007, shortly after advanced centrifuges were installed at the facility.
The Dutch intelligence agency AIVD, acting on the behest of the CIA and the Mossad, recruited an Iranian engineer who worked at the plant. The engineer served as a mole for the intelligence agency and succeeded in delivering the Stuxnet virus via a USB drive.
The joint operation was called The Olympic Games, and was designed to set Iran’s nuclear program back. The Stuxnet virus is believed to have destroyed up to 1,000 centrifuges at the Natanz plant.
The virus was discovered in 2010.
