Did Israel Cyber-Attack Iran?

It looks that way — or the Israelis could simply want people to think that. But, whatever the truth, they seem to be coyly admitting to this summer’s massive cyber-attack against Iran.

The New York Times looks back at Stuxnet, the worm that targeted computers in Iran, specifically, those linked to Iran’s centrifuge work on uranium enrichment. The lede of the Times piece, by William Broad and David Sanger, says the virus “was precisely calibrated in a way that could send nuclear centrifuges wildly out of control.”

Then they have this:

The paternity of the worm is still in dispute, but in recent weeks officials from Israel have broken into wide smiles when asked whether Israel was behind the attack, or knew who was. American officials have suggested it originated abroad.

Later, Broad and Sanger go into some of the other hints that Israel may be behind the attack, which we covered (briefly in our Daily Talking Points) way back when (Oct. 1) via a piece by Laura Rozen.

Ali Gharib

Ali Gharib is a New York-based journalist on U.S. foreign policy with a focus on the Middle East and Central Asia. His work has appeared at Inter Press Service, where he was the Deputy Washington Bureau Chief; the Buffalo Beast; Huffington Post; Mondoweiss; Right Web; and Alternet. He holds a Master's degree in Philosophy and Public Policy from the London School of Economics and Political Science. A proud Iranian-American and fluent Farsi speaker, Ali was born in California and raised in D.C.

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2 Comments

  1. Of course it was an Israeli cyber attack. Do we need absolute proof to know this? Of course not. And did you see today’s headline about the terrorist bombings that killed, I believe, at least one Iranian scientist? These actions are the acceptable (to world opinion) alternative to military strikes.

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