I put it back: Snowden says Israel, U.S. created Stuxnet virus that attacked Iran

[bunnies]

Last edited Tue Jul 9, 2013, 03:33 PM - Edit history (1)

Ok. I put the OP back because its new old news. I think.

Whistleblower Edward Snowden told a German magazine that Israel and the United States created the Stuxnet computer virus that destroyed nuclear centrifuges in Iran.

(snip)

Snowden was asked if the U.S. National Security Agency partners with other nations, like Israel? He responded that the NSA has a massive body responsible for such partnerships called the Foreign Affairs Directorate.

He also was asked, Did the NSA help to create Stuxnet? Snowden responded, NSA and Israel co-wrote it.

Stuxnet in 2010 wrought havoc on equipment at Irans Natanz nuclear plant and complicated the manufacture of highly enriched uranium, which the West suspects is intended for making atomic weapons. The virus temporarily disabled 1,000 centrifuges being used by the Iranians to enrich uranium.

(more)

I hope the source is acceptable. http://www.haaretz.com/news/diplomacy-defense/snowden-says-israel-u-s-created-stuxnet-virus-that-attacked-iran-1.5347

[NoOneMan]

1. I thought that was "common knowledge"?

No?

[bunnies]

2. Not to me.

[NoOneMan]

3. Stuxnet was work of U.S. and Israeli experts, officials say (June, 2012)

A damaging cyberattack against Iran’s nuclear program was the work of U.S. and Israeli experts and proceeded under the secret orders of President Obama, who was eager to slow that nation’s apparent progress toward building an atomic bomb without launching a traditional military attack, say current and former U.S. officials.

The origins of the cyberweapon, which outside analysts dubbed Stuxnet after it was inadvertently discovered in 2010, have long been debated, with most experts concluding that the United States and Israel probably collaborated on the effort. The current and former U.S. officials confirmed that long-standing suspicion Friday, after a New York Times report on the program.

The officials, speaking on the condition of anonymity to describe the classified effort code-named Olympic Games, said it was first developed during the George W. Bush administration and was geared toward damaging Iran’s nuclear capability gradually while sowing confusion among Iranian scientists about the cause of mishaps at a nuclear plant.

http://articles.washingtonpost.com/2012-06-01/world/35459494_1_nuclear-program-stuxnet-senior-iranian-officials

[bunnies]

4. Oh. Thanks. Ill delete. nt

[NoOneMan]

5. You don't have to....its Snowden's confirmation of this

But, you know, its as important as him reading it in the paper a year earlier and then "confirming" it (though we have no evidence he actually knows anything more about it than he read in this article).

So while it could be "newsworthy" as it relates to Snowden (and DU needs 1367 more Snowden posts to make quota), it could also be as important as gossip.

[bunnies]

8. lol.

I didnt really want to start a snowden thread to begin with. This woulda been the first sooo... I guess if hes just confirming something we already knew, its not really worth it to me to add to snowdenpalooza.

[HappyMe]

6. Isn't old news,

good news?

[Enrique]

7. Haaretz is a perfectly fine source

but in this story they are making too much about what Snowden said. He could as easily have been talking about something he read in the NYT as relating specific knowledge from his NSA job.

[bunnies]

9. True.

I wish he had just said that he didnt know, though. I mean, why give Iran more ammunition?

[KittyWampus]

10. Bunnies, you should put the headline and article back. It's okay, it's currently running in a newspa

newspaper.

Don't be afraid of other DU'ers laughing at you or bullying you.

[bunnies]

11. ok, Kitty.

I will.