The enigmatic Stuxnet worm has reportedly caused thousands of Iranian centrifuges used for the enrichment of uranium to grind to an unceremonious halt.
According to the Associated Press, diplomats currently lack specifics on the exact nature of the “temporary” shutdown.
However, suspicions have thus far focused on Stuxnet – which many experts believe is precisely calibrated to destroy centrifuges by sending them spinning out of control.
“It is obvious that several years of preparation went into the design of this [Stuxnet] attack,” German computer security expert Ralph Langner opined in a recent report quoted by the Jerusalem Post.
“[I would compare it to] the arrival of an F-35 fighter jet on a World War I battlefield…[It is obviously] much superior to anything ever seen before, and to what was assumed possible.”
Meanwhile, Iranian nuclear expert David Albright said that while it was impossible to know for certain what caused the shutdown, Stuxnet was certainly capable of creating a disruption “strong enough” to idle the centrifuges.
