Iran claims fire and possible explosion at its Natanz plant on July 2 could have been caused … [+]
Iran claims fire and possible explosion at its Natanz nuclear plant on July 2 It could have been caused by a cyber attack and threatens retaliation in response.
The Iranian Atomic Energy Organization confirmed that an incident had occurred at the nuclear site where, in 2010, the United States and Israel orchestrated a highly sophisticated cyber attack from a nation state, now known as Stuxnet.
Initially, the agency did not provide information on how the new incident happened, nor did it reveal how much damage was done underground where most of the assembly work on the nuclear centrifuges takes place, but shared a picture of the burning building.
Now Iran says it is aware of the cause of the incident but will not disclose this information due to “security considerations,” according to a Reuters report.
But Iran’s chief of civil defense Gholamreza Jalali told state television yesterday (July 3) that “responding to cyber attacks is part of the country’s defense power.”
“If it is shown that our country has been the target of a cyber attack, we will respond,” he added.
Reuters spoke to three unidentified Iranian officials, who said they believed the fire was caused by a cyber attack, but did not provide evidence to prove it. Two of the officials said Israel could be behind the attack, but were again unable to prove this claim.
Meanwhile, the Israel Times Reports that the nuclear site fire was caused by an Israeli cyber attack, following a recent incident allegedly saw Iran hack into Israel’s water infrastructure. This new report is again unconfirmed.
Stuxnet 2?
Iran’s latest news and suggestions that the incident at the nuclear site could have been a cyber attack, of course, have led to comparisons to Stuxnet, the major cyber attack believed to have been perpetrated by the United States and Israel in an attempt to derail Iran’s nuclear program. . The attack was successful, destroying 1,000 centrifuges and delaying Iran’s nuclear program for years.
So is this new attack a possible “child of Stuxnet” or Stuxnet 2?
“We have extremely limited information, so attribution at the moment is a difficult decision,” says Ian Thornton-Trump, Cyjax CISO and former military intelligence operator. “My appeal is that this is not about Stuxnet 2. Iran’s capabilities remain limited for a cyber response and they dare not do anything too bold as they remain an unrivaled adversary and would be crushed by a kinetic response to any physical cyber attack or significant assault, “he adds.
Philip Ingram, MBE, a former colonel in British military intelligence agrees. “I still think about the balance of probabilities, it was a physical attack.”
Of course, in the world of hybrid warfare, nothing can be ruled out, but until Iran “officially” claims that it is a cyber attack, and provides strong evidence to prove it, it would be safe to assume that the incident was an accident or a sabotage. .
