Stuxnet Could Cripple America: Report

The Stuxnet cyberweapon that attacked Iran’s nuclear facilities could be turned on the United States with catastrophic results, government researchers have concluded. An unheralded Congressional report spotted by the Christian Science Monitor finds that Stuxnet could be adapted to attack the US infrastructure, causing severe damage to services like water, power, and transportation. It concludes that the cyberweapon threatens “the basic functioning of modern society.”

The report worries that terrorists could purchase or rent Stuxnet variants from organized crime groups. A successful attack could damage both the nation’s infrastructure and “the government’s ability to safeguard national security interests.”

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