Iran accuses Siemens of helping in cyber attacks
Source: Agencies |
April 18, 2011, Monday
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AN Iranian military commander investigating a computer worm targeting Iranian nuclear facilities and industrial sites has accused German company Siemens of helping the United States and Israel launch a cyber attack on its nuclear program.
Gholamreza Jalali, head of Iran's civilian defence, said the Stuxnet virus was the work of its two biggest foes and that the engineering company must take some of the blame.
Siemens declined to comment.
"The investigations show the source of the Stuxnet virus originated in America and the Zionist regime," Jalali said on Saturday.
Jalali said Iran should hold Siemens responsible for the fact that its control systems used to operate complicated factory machinery - known as Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition (SCADA) - had been hit by the virus.
"Our executive officials should legally follow up the case of Siemens SCADA software which prepared the ground for the Stuxnet virus," he said.
"The Siemens company must be held accountable and explain how and why it provided the enemies with the information about the codes of SCADA software and paved the way for a cyber attack against us."
He said disastrous accidents and loss of life were averted by Iranian experts fighting the computer code. He gave no specific examples.
It first emerged in September that Iran was battling the powerful computer worm Stuxnet, which has the ability to send centrifuges - used in nuclear fuel production - spinning out of control.
Iran has acknowledged the code infected laptops belonging to employees at its first nuclear power plant, whose launch has been repeated delayed.
It is also believed to have temporarily crippled Iran's uranium enrichment program last year.
Jalali said Iranian experts have determined that the US and Israel were behind Stuxnet, which can take over the control systems of industrial sites like power plants.
In recent months, Iranian state media have reported dozens of explosions at industrial sites, particularly oil and petrochemical facilities, that have killed at least 10 people.
"Enemies have attacked industrial infrastructure and undermined industrial production through cyber attacks. This was a hostile action against our country," the official IRNA news agency quoted Jalali as saying.
"If it had not been confronted on time, much material damage and human loss could have been inflicted," Jalali said.
Siemens equipment and software are used at the Bushehr nuclear power plant, where technical issues have halted its planned startup.
Iran has acknowledged Stuxnet affected a limited number of centrifuges at its main uranium enrichment facility in Natanz in central Iran, but has said its scientists discovered and neutralized the malware before it could cause serious damage.
The Natanz enrichment plant is of key concern to some Western nations who fear Iran is intent on weapons production because the technology can produce either fuel for power plants or material for bombs.
Iran insists its nuclear program is entirely peaceful.
Gholamreza Jalali, head of Iran's civilian defence, said the Stuxnet virus was the work of its two biggest foes and that the engineering company must take some of the blame.
Siemens declined to comment.
"The investigations show the source of the Stuxnet virus originated in America and the Zionist regime," Jalali said on Saturday.
Jalali said Iran should hold Siemens responsible for the fact that its control systems used to operate complicated factory machinery - known as Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition (SCADA) - had been hit by the virus.
"Our executive officials should legally follow up the case of Siemens SCADA software which prepared the ground for the Stuxnet virus," he said.
"The Siemens company must be held accountable and explain how and why it provided the enemies with the information about the codes of SCADA software and paved the way for a cyber attack against us."
He said disastrous accidents and loss of life were averted by Iranian experts fighting the computer code. He gave no specific examples.
It first emerged in September that Iran was battling the powerful computer worm Stuxnet, which has the ability to send centrifuges - used in nuclear fuel production - spinning out of control.
Iran has acknowledged the code infected laptops belonging to employees at its first nuclear power plant, whose launch has been repeated delayed.
It is also believed to have temporarily crippled Iran's uranium enrichment program last year.
Jalali said Iranian experts have determined that the US and Israel were behind Stuxnet, which can take over the control systems of industrial sites like power plants.
In recent months, Iranian state media have reported dozens of explosions at industrial sites, particularly oil and petrochemical facilities, that have killed at least 10 people.
"Enemies have attacked industrial infrastructure and undermined industrial production through cyber attacks. This was a hostile action against our country," the official IRNA news agency quoted Jalali as saying.
"If it had not been confronted on time, much material damage and human loss could have been inflicted," Jalali said.
Siemens equipment and software are used at the Bushehr nuclear power plant, where technical issues have halted its planned startup.
Iran has acknowledged Stuxnet affected a limited number of centrifuges at its main uranium enrichment facility in Natanz in central Iran, but has said its scientists discovered and neutralized the malware before it could cause serious damage.
The Natanz enrichment plant is of key concern to some Western nations who fear Iran is intent on weapons production because the technology can produce either fuel for power plants or material for bombs.
Iran insists its nuclear program is entirely peaceful.
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