Will There Be Computer Warfare?

A cyber "ghost attack" hit Iran's Natanz nuclear plant's centrifuge program in 2010 that caused a set back in Iran's low-enriched uranium production. This element is the fuel for nuclear power plants and, with further processing, nuclear bombs.

The cyber attack came in the form of a computer worm known as Stuxnet. Stuxnet essentially hijacked the plant's control system, causing the centrifuges to spin so rapidly that they began to break.

The key to this malware is that as it spun the centrifuges out of control, it relayed false messages of normality back to the computer so the rapid spinning would go unnoticed.

This setback to the nuclear plant was in no way detrimental. It was instead an obstacle that Iran has been able to overcome.

"If nothing else, it hit their confidence," said Institute for Science and International Security (ISIS) president, David Albright, "and it will make them feel more vulnerable in the future."

As of Feb. 2011, the Natanz facilities have recovered and are back to producing low- enriched uranium.

No one is claiming ownership of this technological weapon that destroyed roughly a fifth of the plant's nuclear centrifuges. Perhaps no one wants to take credit for it becuase it can potentially begin a cyber war, a war that can easily spin out of control.