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Obama 'sped up cyber-attacks on Iran's nuclear programme' US was 'key player in cyber-attacks on Iran's nuclear programme'
(about 4 hours later)
President Barack Obama's administration has taken direct responsibility for a rapid acceleration in cyber-attacks against Iran's nuclear programme. The US was the principal player in the most sophisticated cyber-attack ever known and has been orchestrating a campaign against Iran designed to undermine the country's nuclear programme, it has been claimed.
According to anonymous senior administration sources quoted in the New York Times, Obama decided to speed up a programme first launched by his predecessor, George W Bush, codenamed Olympic Games, whose aim was to use computer viruses to attack Iran's nuclear enrichment programme. According to anonymous senior administration sources, quoted in the New York Times, President Barack Obama decided to speed up an initiative launched by his predecessor, George W Bush, codenamed Olympic Games, which aimed to use computer viruses to attack Tehran's uranium-enrichment programme.
The decision to reveal Obama's role in the cyberwar against Iran follows hard on the heels of the highly political disclosure in an election year that the president had taken a personal role in approving terrorist targets for US drone strikes. The disclosures about Obama's role in the cyberwar against Iran appear to show beyond doubt that the US, with the help of Israel, was behind the Stuxnet virus, which sent some of Iran's centrifuge machines spinning out of control. And it will raise questions about whether Washington was also behind the Flamer virus discovered by experts last week.
And the depiction of his key involvement in two major clandestine military operations follows photographs last year showing him, as commander-in-chief, awaiting news of the death of Osama bin Laden. This also targeted Iran, though its main aim was to spy on the country's oil industry. It is believed to have downloaded vast amounts of information over two years and had technical capabilities never seen before.
The revelations on Iran appear designed to neutralise Republican accusations that he has been weak over the issue of Iran's nuclear programme. The revelations about US involvement in cyberwar may be seized upon by China and Russia, which are regularly accused by Washington of cyber espionage and theft.
According to the New York Times, Obama took the decision to accelerate the pace of computer sabotage against Tehran in 2010 even after details about one of the cyberweapons developed to attack Iran, the so-called Stuxnet worm, accidentally leaked on to the internet because of a programming error. The depiction of Obama's hands-on role in cyber attacks follows the highly political disclosure in an election year that the president had taken a personal role in approving terrorist targets for US drone strikes. The revelations on Iran appear designed to neutralise Republican accusations that he has been weak over the issue of Iran's nuclear programme.
That worm had been designed to target Iran's Natanz plant. According to the New York Times, Obama took the decision to accelerate the pace of computer sabotage against Tehran in 2010, even after details about one of the cyber weapons developed to attack Iran, the Stuxnet worm, accidentally leaked on to the internet because of a programming error. It had been designed to target the country's Natanz plant.
At a meeting in the White House situation room within days of the worm's "escape", Obama asked his advisers, including Leon Panetta, the head of the CIA, whether the effort should be wound up because it had been compromised. At a meeting in the White House situation room within days of the worm's escape, Obama asked his advisers, including Leon Panetta, the head of the CIA, whether the effort should be wound up because it had been compromised.
According to sources in the room at the time, Obama asked: "Should we shut this thing down?" before deciding instead to push ahead with the attacks. The Natanz plant was hit twice more by versions of the worm, which damaged up to 1,000 high-speed centrifuges then enriching uranium. According to sources in the room at the time, Obama asked: "Should we shut this thing down?", before opting instead to push ahead with the attacks. The Natanz plant was hit twice more by versions of the worm, which damaged up to 1,000 high-speed centrifuges then enriching uranium.
The revelation of Obama's involvement in ordering cyber-attacks on Iran in a joint programme also involving Israel, follows the disclosure earlier this week that Iran had recently been hit by a massive new virus named Flame, 20 to 40 times larger than Stuxnet, found infecting PCs in Iran. The revelation of Obama's involvement in ordering cyber-attacks on Iran in a joint programme involving Israel follows the disclosure that Iran had recently been hit by the Flamer virus, thought to be 20 to 40 times larger than Stuxnet.
According to Kaspersky Lab – a Russian-based computer security firm that has studied both Stuxnet and Flame – the first Stuxnet attack on Iran took place around June 2009, but its existence did not emerge until almost a year later, appearing to fit precisely the timeline proposed by the New York Times' sources. According to the latest analysis of Flamer, it had a blue-tooth capability never seen before in a computer worm. The computer security firm Symantec said any laptop infected with Flamer would search for other blue-tooth-enabled devices, sucking up information that might include mobile phone numbers. This would help the attacker "identify the victim's social and professional circles".
Indeed, some experts have said there are sufficient similarities between the two worms to suggest they have the same source. The Kaspersky Lab, a Russian-based computer security firm that has studied Stuxnet and Flame, said the first Stuxnet attack on Iran took place around June 2009, but its existence did not emerge until almost a year later, appearing to fit precisely the timeline proposed by the New York Times' sources. Some experts have said there are sufficient similarities between the worms to suggest they have the same source.
The timing of the disclosure to David E Sanger, who boasts of access to Obama and his closest officials, is significant in a presidential election year. Last year the US deputy defence secretary, William Lynn, declined to reveal whether the US was involved in the development of Stuxnet. "This is not something that we're going to be able to answer at this point," he said.
In recent weeks, Republican candidate Mitt Romney has tried to portray the Obama administration as weak and muddled on foreign policy, most recently over the crisis in Syria. The timing of the disclosure to the New York Times's David E Sanger, who boasts of access to Obama and his closest officials, is particularly significant. In recent weeks, the Republican candidate, Mitt Romney, has tried to portray the Obama administration as weak and muddled on foreign policy, most recently over the crisis in Syria. Recent sympathetic media disclosures appear to have been designed to counter this suggestion.
The recent highly sympathetic media disclosures appear to have been carefully calculated to counter this suggestion. Stuxnet was launched in 2006 after President Bush was advised that a cyber weapon might be more effective than sabotage – the CIA had introduced faulty materials into Iran's nuclear procurement networks.
The programme was first launched in 2006 under President Bush, who had been advised that a cyberweapon might be more effective than sabotage – the CIA had introduced faulty materials into Iran's nuclear procurement networks. The goal then was to secretly access Natanz's industrial computer controls, which had been designed by the German company Siemens, to acquire a blueprint of how it worked.
The goal then was to secretly access Natanz's industrial computer controls, which had been designed by the German company Siemens, to acquire a detailed blueprint of how it worked. That achieved, a joint US-Israeli operation set about building a worm to attack the plant and make its centrifuges run out of control. As was suggested at the time, Stuxnet appears to have been introduced into the Iranian plant with contaminated thumb drives.
That achieved, a joint US-Israeli operation set about building a worm to attack the plant's computer systems and make its centrifuges run out of control.
As was suggested at the time, Stuxnet appears to have been introduced into the Iranian plant with contaminated thumb drives.
"That was our holy grail," one of the architects of the plan said, referring to how the plant was physically accessed. "It turns out there is always an idiot around who doesn't think much about the thumb drive in their hand.""That was our holy grail," one of the architects of the plan said, referring to how the plant was physically accessed. "It turns out there is always an idiot around who doesn't think much about the thumb drive in their hand."
American sources quoted also blame Israel for the eventual discovery of the worm, which had been intended to remain secret, after the US's Israeli partners had modified Stuxnet and made a programming error that caused it to escape and replicate in cyberspace. US sources quoted blame Israel for the eventual discovery of the worm. They said the Israeli partners modified Stuxnet and made a programming error that caused it to escape and replicate in cyberspace.
The disclosures also throw fresh light on the rapid development of US cyberwarfare capability and reveal its willingness to use cyberweapons offensively to achieve policies. The disclosures throw fresh light on the rapid development of US cyberwarfare capability and reveal its willingness to use cyber weapons offensively to achieve policies.