Stuxnet Cyberweapon Discovered, Linked to US-Israel Attack on Iran's Nuclear Program

A sophisticated cyberweapon called Stuxnet is discovered, later confirmed as a joint US-Israeli operation that physically destroyed approximately 1,000 Iranian nuclear centrifuges.

Stuxnet — a highly sophisticated computer worm — was first publicly identified by cybersecurity researchers in June 2010 after it caused unusual failures at Iran's Natanz uranium enrichment facility. Later investigations confirmed it was a joint US-Israeli intelligence operation, the first known cyberweapon designed to cause physical damage to industrial equipment. Stuxnet targeted the Siemens controllers governing Iran's centrifuges, causing them to spin out of control while reporting normal operation to monitors. Approximately 1,000 of Iran's 9,000 centrifuges were destroyed, setting back the nuclear program by years. The operation — codenamed Olympic Games — marked the opening of a new front in the US-Iran conflict: state-sponsored cyberwarfare.