I wrote about the mysterious Stuxnet worm in our November print issue. Now more details have emerged about its possible authors.

You'll recall that Stuxnet is a worm with very specific tastes, namely Windows PCs running Siemens SIMATIC Step 7 controller software that in turn is used to program (and run) Programmable Logic Controllers (PLCs) -- devices that handle everything from amusement park rides to industrial assembly lines. Initial suspicions that it was targeted at the centrifuges used to enrich uranium seem to be borne out.

However it looks like yet another IT screw-up. In spite of squandering three zero-day exploits to get it in place, Stuxnet then just hung around propogating like mad -- which drew the attention of the antivirus companies who quickly put it out of business.

"... whoever did write it failed in one respect because Stuxnet has not stayed live for as long as its creators hoped. The control system set up needed to have been in place for years to have a seriously disruptive effect on its intended targets. 'Someone has serious egg on their face because they are never going to be able to use this investment ever again ...' "

Opps!

Still, Stuxnet marks a watershed in the virus business because, as Kaspersky Labs noted, it's "a working -- and fearsome -- prototype of a cyber-weapon that will lead to the creation of a new arms race in the world."