Israel Plans a Major Cyber Attack on Iran

Navideshahed: The Israeli military is plotting to wage a major cyber war against Iran by setting up a military cyber command, fearing that military action against Iranian nuclear sites will end in failure.

News ID: 311396

Date: 08 August 2011 - 07:30

According to Navideshahed and as reported by a British newspaper (Sunday Times), the new cyber command, which has been designated as central to 'defense capability' of the Israeli regime, would directly report to Tel Aviv's Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu.

The development comes following an earlier joint Israeli-American effort to sabotage computer systems at Iran's newly-built Bushehr Nuclear Power Plant through a malware virus Stuxnet in cooperation with German Siemens Corporation that supplied Iran with its widely-used industrial control system for power plants.

"Israel must turn into a global cyber superpower," said Netanyahu in a recent meeting with the regime's cyber warfare experts.

Supported by the military, says the report, the new command center has already conducted a series of "soft" espionage missions, including hacking into Iran's version of Facebook and other social networking sites.

"Israel has two principal targets in Iran's cyberspace," which are stopping Iran's nuclear program and its civil infrastructure, said a source with close knowledge of the cyber war preparations.

"Attacking both, we hope, will cripple the entire country's cyberspace," the source added.

Indentified by Iranian officials in June 2010, Stuxnet is a malware designed to infect computers using German industrial Siemens Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition (SCADA) -- a control system favored by industries that manage water supplies, oil rigs, and power plants.

In July 2010, media reports alleged that Stuxnet targeted industrial computers around the globe with Iran's Bushehr nuclear power plant being at the center of the cyber attack.

However, Iranian experts detected the worm in time, averting any damage to the country's industrial sites and resources.

The Stuxnet malware virus is widely believed to have been developed by Israeli and American technicians.

The End

According to Navideshahed and as reported by a British newspaper (Sunday Times), the new cyber command, which has been designated as central to 'defense capability' of the Israeli regime, would directly report to Tel Aviv's Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu. The development comes following an earlier joint Israeli-American effort to sabotage computer systems at Iran's newly-built Bushehr Nuclear Power Plant through a malware virus Stuxnet in cooperation with German Siemens Corporation that supplied Iran with its widely-used industrial control system for power plants. "Israel must turn into a global cyber superpower," said Netanyahu in a recent meeting with the regime's cyber warfare experts. Supported by the military, says the report, the new command center has already conducted a series of "soft" espionage missions, including hacking into Iran's version of Facebook and other social networking sites. "Israel has two principal targets in Iran's cyberspace," which are stopping Iran's nuclear program and its civil infrastructure, said a source with close knowledge of the cyber war preparations. "Attacking both, we hope, will cripple the entire country's cyberspace," the source added. Indentified by Iranian officials in June 2010, Stuxnet is a malware designed to infect computers using German industrial Siemens Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition (SCADA) -- a control system favored by industries that manage water supplies, oil rigs, and power plants. In July 2010, media reports alleged that Stuxnet targeted industrial computers around the globe with Iran's Bushehr nuclear power plant being at the center of the cyber attack. However, Iranian experts detected the worm in time, averting any damage to the country's industrial sites and resources. The Stuxnet malware virus is widely believed to have been developed by Israeli and American technicians. The End