By Michelle Maltais

Los Angeles Times

Published: June 1, 2012

LOS ANGELES It reads like a riveting sci-fi novel, but its stunningly real: A super-sophisticated malicious computer virus burrowed its way into Irans nuclear facilities and took down several parts of the operation. Oh, and it apparently came from us.

In 2010, it was the United States who launched Stuxnet, a seek-and-destroy cyber missile so sophisticated that some briefly thought it might have an other-than-earthly origin, against Irans nuclear infrastructure, according to a New York Times report. The virus was, in fact, created jointly by the United States and Israel.

In his first months in office, President Obama covertly ordered sophisticated attacks on the computers that ran Irans nuclear facilities, upping U.S. use of cyber weaponry in a sustained attack, the newspaper said.

Early on, a programming error allowed the worm to escape Irans Natanz plant and whoosh around the world on the Internet.

Should we shut this thing down? Obama asked members of his national security team who were in the room told the paper.

Ultimately, the super worm was left to wreak its havoc, and it took out 1,000 of 5,000 centrifuges Iran was using to enhance uranium, according to the report. It was as effective as a bomb or agents infiltrating countrys nuclear facilities to plant explosives, the report said.

German cyber-security expert Ralph Langner found the worm in 2010. As his team dug deeper into the code, each new discovery left them more impressed and wondering what was coming next, he told NPR. The sophistication of the worm seemed almost alien. But it was, indeed, decidedly terrestrial in nature.

Read the original: