In June 2010, a computer virus called Stuxnet was found in electric plants and industrial complexes all over the world. The latest evolution of computer viruses eventually brought Iran‘s Bushehr Nuclear facility to a halt, in what many label as the first act of cyber ware by the use of the first Cyberweapon, Stuxnet.
A computer virus is a computer program that can replicate itself and spread from one computer to another. The term “virus” is also commonly, but erroneously used, to refer to other types of malware, including but not limited to adware and spyware programs that do not have a reproductive ability.
Viruses can increase their chances of spreading to other computers by infecting files on a network file system or a file system that is accessed by other computers.
Malware includes computer viruses, computer worms, Trojan horses, most rootkits, spyware, dishonest adware and other malicious or unwanted software, including true viruses. Viruses are sometimes confused with worms and Trojan horses, which are technically different. A worm can exploit security vulnerabilities to spread itself automatically to other computers through networks, while a Trojan horse is a program that appears harmless but hides malicious functions. Worms and Trojan horses, like viruses, may harm a computer system‘s data or performance. Some viruses and other malware have symptoms noticeable to the computer user, but many are surreptitious or simply do nothing to call attention to themselves. Some viruses do nothing beyond reproducing themselves.
Source: Source Wikipedia
Watch the Stuxnet – Anatony of a Virus!
It’s scary to think that, in today’s modern world, cyberwarfare is a very real threat to systems all over the world. There is a greater need for solid information security today than there has ever been.
I fully agree, as the amount of databases with sensitive information grows worldwide, the risk of attacks on vital data for individuals, corporations and governments increases. This will only grow with the rapid scaling of Cloud services.
I don’t think it is a threat properly thought of or taken care of, and it sure promises to be a big debate/action issue in the next years/decades to come.
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