Dark Reading: Stuxnet: How It Happened And How Your Enterprise Can Avoid Similar Attacks

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A look back at one of the industry's most complex attacks -- and the lessons it teaches

May 17, 2011
By Michael Davis

[Excerpted from "Stuxnet Reality Check: Are You Prepared For A Similar Attack," a new report posted this week on the Dark Reading Advanced Threats Tech Center.]

Iranian nuclear facilities, zero-day exploits, secret operatives and nation-state government involvement sounds more like the backstory to a spy novel than a piece of malware. Yet Stuxnet, the most researched and analyzed malware ever, is still being studied and discussed in security circles around the world -- even though it was discovered more than a year ago.

You probably don’t operate a nuclear facility, so why should you care about a piece of software that targeted specific centrifuge models in particular nuclear plants in another part of the world? Simply put, Stuxnet made cybernightmares reality and changed the security world forever -- while simultaneously bringing to light the high risks associated with the supervisory control and data acquisition (SCADA) networks that control operations within many energy and utility companies.

How would a Stuxnet-like attack affect your enterprise -- and what can you do to stop it? Let's take a look.

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