Computers in Iran have been hardest hit by a dangerous computer worm that tries to steal information from industrial control systems.
According to data compiled by Symantec, nearly 60 percent of all systems infected by the worm are located in Iran. Indonesia and India have also been hard-hit by the malicious software, known as Stuxnet
Siemens wouldn't say how many customers it has in Iran, but the company now says that two German companies have been infected by the virus. A free virus scanner posted by Siemens earlier this week has been downloaded 1,500 times, a company spokesman said.
Siemens has made a program available for detecting and disinfecting malware attacking its software used to control power grids, gas refineries, and factories but warned customers who use it could disrupt sensitive plant operations.
Stuxnet, the worm is the first publicly identified piece of malware to target SCADA computers, which are used to control things such as manufacturing plants and utility systems. The worm copies itself to other USB systems on the computer and scans for Siemens Simatic WinCC or PCS 7 software. If it finds one of these programs, it tries to upload data from the systems to the Internet. It’s not clear if any of this has to do anything with Iran’s Nuclear Program also which is probable.
Siemens doesn't know who built the worm, but is investigating and plans to pursue the matter to the "full extent of the law," the company said on its website.
Siemens has come under blistering criticism for not removing the vulnerability two years ago, when, according to Wired.com, the default password threat first came to light. Some believe because of the complexity of the programming, the worm cannot be made by one person only and there should be a team working and developing it under an organization.