It is no exaggeration to say that the development of the Internet leads the world in the twenty-first century. The Internet globalizes the world quickly by forming a network among countries. However, the advancement of cyberspace makes international information flow abnormally fast. As a result, governments cannot monitor and control what information is exchanged in their countries. The aspect of the difficulty regulating the network generates cyber-crimes such as data destruction. These crimes are also used for political cyber-warfare at present. One of the well-known cases of cyber-warfare is the Stuxnet worm. This cyber-attack arose in Iran from 2007 to 2012. The United States and Israel implemented Stuxnet …show more content…
Stuxnet is the first malicious software that targets specifically certain industrial control system (ICS). This malware has particular object to attack. It obstructs a Microsoft Windows-based application that is run by certain ICS, which was developed by the German company Siemens. It is possible for the worm to be spread through transportable devices like thumb drives and through computers connected to the Internet. In addition, the Stuxnet worm can hide from a protection system of the target. Determining the origin of the malware is hard. Cyber attackers use complex techniques such as peer-to-peer networking or spoofing IP address in order to elude detection. Similarly, the Stuxnet worm is also positioned on a removable device, so it is difficult to clarify its creator. Thus, some security experts surmise the intervention of a nation in order to develop the worm because the code is very sophisticated (Kerr …show more content…
Each impact considers potentiality for new types of cyber-attacks (Denning 672).
Stuxnet will be able to help and influence on the development of new cyber-weapons, which attack industrial control system (ICS) devices. Furthermore, the progress of these weapons can attract the cyber-security researchers, who lead information flow. The researchers can reveal the vulnerable point of the cyber-weapons and exploit the program, which can be used against ICS devices, but Stuxnet can make the development to more sophistication than the researchers’ detection (Denning 684).
In the future, Stuxnet can be an ancestor of a nation that uses cyber-warfare. Cyber-warfare is less harmful and dangerous than a traditional weapon such as a bomb even though it achieve same goal, whereas a traditional weapon is more immoral and hazardous. In addition, the Stuxnet worm provides an actual example of cyber-warfare to people who study about it, and it also affects academic discussions and policies related to cyber-warfare (Denning