‘Stuxnet was part of extensive internet attack plan’
A new documentary, Zero Days, shows that the malware attack on Iran’s uranium enrichment facility Natanz was just a small part of a larger plan called Nitro Zeus. This was an alternative plan in the event of a conflict with Iran.
Zero Days discusses how mission Nitro Zeus was to become the successor to Operation Olympic Games, according to the New York Times and Buzzfeed. Under Olympic Games, around 2010 a malware attack was perpetrated on a uranium enrichment facility at Natanz in Iran. The United States and Israel used the self-developed Stuxnet malware for this. The Nitro Zeus mission was much more extensive than an attack on a single installation. This attack would shut down Iran’s air defenses, communications systems and critical parts of the power supply. The attack was to be carried out by United States Cyber Command, part of the US armed forces and specialized in digital warfare, and the NSA.
However, the plan was shelved when an agreement was reached with Iran on the uranium installations in 2015. According to the documentary, Nitro Zeus was an alternative to full-scale war, in the event that Iran attacks the United States or its allies. According to the sources in the film, at the peak of the mission, thousands of employees were involved and the plan involved tens or even hundreds of millions of dollars. All relevant Iranian systems had already been accessed and maintained at that time. The programs that were to carry out the attack were developed in such a way that no hints were left about who had committed the attack.
Another target of US security forces was Fordo, one of Iran’s most secure installations. Because Fordo is deep in a mountain, a digital attack was developed in addition to regular plans by the secret security services. Among other things, a computer worm would have to destroy the computer systems in Fordo, which would at least slow down uranium mining.
The documentary continues into the details of the earlier Olympic Games mission. This includes Stuxnet and how Israel developed an aggressive version, which was discovered by researchers. It also discusses how Stuxnet inadvertently infected machines in 2009 and how teams then attempted to remove the malware from everywhere without attracting attention.
Since the Stuxnet attack on Iran’s Natanz, it is increasingly suspected that Stuxnet malware is the basis of certain attacks. For example, there are suspicions that the US tried to shut down a North Korean nuclear program with a Stuxnet variant. Stuxnet is also cited as the culprit in the attack on a Russian nuclear power plant.
Zero Days will premiere on February 17 at Berlinale, an international film festival in Berlin.