Bonum Certa Men Certa

Windows, Stuxnet, and Public Stoning

Ireland



Summary: Myths about public stoning and speculation about punishment for those who are accused of attacking Windows computers that belong to Iran's nuclear programme

PUBLIC stoning is an extremely rarely sight in Iran (contrary to reports from the West or the impression they try to get across), but recently it made a lot of press because of an incident which produced daemonisation opportunities against an entire nation/regime (never mind the hypocrisy, such as the United States executing women in gas chambers until a few decades ago). Techrights is not a political Web site, but it never in the IRC channel condoned execution, either (not the editors anyway). The "-social" IRC channel is where political discussion is more openly received.



For those who have been living under a rock, there is a Windows worm called "Stuxnet" (maybe an 'umbrella' for some variants with commonality) and we wrote about it in the following recent posts:



Techrights has also reported about Stuxnet specifically in Iran, under the following posts:



According to the MSBBC, which is not entirely reliable on political issues (their blogs are better), Iran arrests "nuclear spies" accused of cyber attacks "after the complex worm Stuxnet infected staff computers at Iran's first nuclear power station at Bushehr."

Iran has arrested "nuclear spies" on suspicion of being behind cyber attacks on its nuclear programme, Iranian state media report.

Press TV says "a number" of people have been apprehended as part of an operation by Iran to counter "massive enemy schemes".

The report comes after the complex worm Stuxnet infected staff computers at Iran's first nuclear power station at Bushehr.

No details of the arrests were given.


It will be interesting to know the crime and the punishment. Many expert reports have suggested that Stuxnet was actually designed by a foreign government to take advantage of Microsoft Windows in enemy territories, and perhaps even specifically to derail Iran's nuclear programme.

Orwell at the BBC
Eric Blair's memo of resignation from the BBC



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