Ghost of a flea: Myrtus

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September 30, 2010

Myrtus

The New York Times offers an intriguing clue to the authors of the Stuxnet worm, widely thought to have been aimed at Iran's atomic weapons program. The worm reportedly includes an instance of the word "Myrtus", a term signifying justice to Israel of old and quite possibly a reference to the Book of Esther, "the Old Testament tale in which the Jews pre-empt a Persian plot to destroy them".

There are many competing explanations for myrtus, which could simply signify myrtle, a plant important to many cultures in the region. But some security experts see the reference as a signature allusion to Esther, a clear warning in a mounting technological and psychological battle as Israel and its allies try to breach Tehran’s most heavily guarded project. Others doubt the Israelis were involved and say the word could have been inserted as deliberate misinformation, to implicate Israel.

Wheels within wheels.

Also: My alternative suggestion has Siemens as the target, check out the comments for expert opinion. Look, it seems likely to me it was the Israelis, they were after the cascade at Natanz and their attack has succeeded. But if my suggestion is valid and Siemens is the target then Myrtus may indeed mean Israel. They have every reason to target a hostile corporation enabling an enemy power.

More at Neptunus Lex including more expert opinion in the comments. This includes a number of gentlemen who have dealt with Siemens or who have worked with their systems. I am borrowing the following observation by G-Man.

I bought a division from Siemens years ago and negotiating with those SOBs convinced me never to purchase another Siemens product. We had to use their PLC code in our product since their PLCs virtually run every major water treatment plant in the US, but we also strongly suggested alternatives like Opto 22 or Allen-Bradley. The one good thing that came out of it all was every time we concluded a session they presented a nice bottle of Bombay Sapphire as a departing gift. And yes, they would sell their Mother’s soul to Satan’s wh0rehouse.

Posted by Ghost of a flea at September 30, 2010 11:02 AM

Comments

Well, this sounds interesting, though I am not familiar with the terms used but it's great knowing their definitions by what they are.

Posted by: Joe Sweet at October 1, 2010 01:27 AM