Stuxnet worm suspected to have caused technical problems, forcing shutdown of thousands of centrifuges used for enriching uranium..
By ASSOCIATED PRESSgas centrifuges 298.88(photo credit: Courtesy)
Iran's nuclear chief says a malicious computer worm known as Stuxnet has not harmed the country's atomic program.Vice President Ali Akbar Salehi says details about the virus became known only after Iran's "enemies failed to achieve their goals."RELATED:'Stuxnet specifically targeted Iranian nuclear program'Security and Defense: Nuclear wormingSalehi's remarks on Tuesday came a day after diplomats told The Associated Press in Vienna that Iran's nuclear program has suffered a recent setback, with major technical problems forcing the temporary shutdown of thousands of centrifuges enriching uranium.The diplomats said they had no specifics on the nature of the problem that in recent months led Iranian experts to briefly power down the machines they use for enrichment — a nuclear technology that has both civilian and military uses.But suspicions focused on the Stuxnet worm, the computer virus thought to be aimed at Iran's nuclear program, which experts last week identified as being calibrated to destroy centrifuges by sending them spinning out of control.Iran says its enrichment efforts are geared only to make nuclear fuel but the program has aroused international concern because it can be re-engineered to produce uranium for nuclear warheads.There have been hints that the program is beset by technical problems. Even a brief shutdown of the thousands of enriching machines would be the strongest documentation to date that the program — Iran's nuclear cornerstone and a source of national pride — is in trouble.Iran's enrichment program has come under renewed focus with the conclusion of cyber experts and analysts that the Stuxnet worm that infected Iran's nuclear program was designed to abruptly change the rotational speeds of motors such as ones used in centrifuges. Such sudden changes can crash centrifuges and damage them beyond repair.No one has claimed to be behind Stuxnet, but some analysts have speculated that it originated in Israel.Iran nuclear expert David Albright said it was impossible to say what would cause a disruption strong enough to idle the centrifuges but "Stuxnet would do just that.
Related Tagsstuxnet
if(catID != 151){
var cont = `Take Israel home with the new Jerusalem Post Store
