Hackers force Iranian nuclear facilities to blast AC/DC after Cyber Attack

A person inside the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran (AEOI) claimed this week in an email to a security researcher that a fresh hack is affecting two facilities, causing vital equipment to shut down and then playing AC/DC’s “Thunderstruck” on lab computers at maximum volume “during the middle of the night.”

Mikko H. Hypponen, chief research officer for the cybersecurity firm F-Secure, explained on the company’s website that he received an email from an unknown person within the AEOI who wanted to publicize details of the latest problems they’ve been running into.

“I am writing you to inform you that our nuclear program has once again been compromised and attacked by a new worm with exploits which have shut down our automation network at Natanz and another facility Fordo near Qom,” the tipster wrote.

“According to the email our cyber experts sent to our teams, they believe a hacker tool Metasploit was used,” he continued. “The hackers had access to our VPN. The automation network and Siemens hardware were attacked and shut down. I only know very little about these cyber issues as I am scientist not a computer expert. ”

The email concluded: “There was also some music playing randomly on several of the workstations during the middle of the night with the volume maxed out. I believe it was playing ‘Thunderstruck’ by AC/DC.”

While the identity of whomever sent the email has not been confirmed, reports in recent months have pointed to the U.S. and Israel as leading cyber-sabotage efforts against Iran’s nuclear program.

Reporters cited unnamed administration officials who claimed that the creation of the “Stuxnet” cyber weapon was authorized by President George W. Bush and sped up by President Barack Obama, who also allegedly initiated other lines of attack against the same facilities cited by Hyppone’s mystery tipster.

Categories: Malware , Trojan and Viruses