Cyberwarrior at Argent Consulting
President Obama has been personally directing the cyberwar that has targeted the Iranian nuclear program. In a startling and groundbreaking article in the New York Times yesterday, David Sanger reports on the ongoing joint US/Israeli effort to sabotage Iranian nuclear facilities including centrifuges producing enriched uranium. The code name of this campaign is Olympic Games.
The article is based on the writer’s forthcoming book (June 5), Confront and Conceal: Obama’s Secret Wars and Surprising Use of American Power, which drew on 18 months of extensive interviews with unnamed American and Israeli officials involved in the program.
Obama inherited both Olympic Games and the drone campaign in Pakistan from President Bush who implored the incoming President to continue both. Obama apparently took his advice, with alacrity.
In 2010 an error in the code enabled the Stuxnet virus to escape from its Iranian target at Natanz and, like the Golem of Prague, it spread uncontrolled damaging computer networks around the world. According to Sanger, Vice President Biden angrily blamed the mishap on the Israelis who he claimed, “went too far.”
Apparently Obama did not learn from this disaster and ordered that the computer war against Iran continue with full force.
“We think there was a modification done by the Israelis,” one of the briefers told the president, “and we don’t know if we were part of that activity.”
Mr. Obama, according to officials in the room, asked a series of questions, fearful that the code could do damage outside the plant. The answers came back in hedged terms. Mr. Biden fumed. “It’s got to be the Israelis,” he said. “They went too far.”
The Stuxnet virus is believed to be the first computer program that damaged physical infrastructure. This is a very significant escalation in cyberwarfare. Ironically, the nation that is most vulnerable to this type of attack is the United States, as Sanger points out.
Maybe in the future there will be an international cyberweapon non-proliferation treaty. If such a treaty comes into existence, my guess is that the United States will find a way to allow Israel to avoid participation.
[The 2010 attack on Nantanz] appears to be the first time the United States has repeatedly used cyberweapons to cripple another country’s infrastructure, achieving, with computer code, what until then could be accomplished only by bombing a country or sending in agents to plant explosives.
[Obama] repeatedly expressed concerns that any American acknowledgment that it was using cyberweapons — even under the most careful and limited circumstances — could enable other countries, terrorists or hackers to justify their own attacks. “We discussed the irony, more than once,” one of his aides said. Another said that the administration was resistant to developing a “grand theory for a weapon whose possibilities they were still discovering.” Yet Mr. Obama concluded that when it came to stopping Iran, the United States had no other choice.
The unusually tight collaboration with Israel was driven by two imperatives. Israel’s Unit 8200, a part of its military, had technical expertise that rivaled the N.S.A.’s, and the Israelis had deep intelligence about operations at Natanz that would be vital to making the cyberattack a success. But American officials had another interest, to dissuade the Israelis from carrying out their own pre-emptive strike against the Iranian nuclear facilities. To do that, the Israelis would have to be convinced that the new line of attack was working. The only way to convince them, several officials said in interviews, was to have them deeply involved in every aspect of the program.
There is a qualifying statement included in the article on the existence of the alleged Iranian nuclear weapons program. I think it is both accurate and a powerful reminder that what Obama and his American and Israeli kosher cowboys are up to may be one day be considered a folly of historic dimensions.
Whether Iran is still trying to design and build a weapon is in dispute. The most recent United States intelligence estimate concludes that Iran suspended major parts of its weaponization effort after 2003, though there is evidence that some remnants of it continue.
For those who feel uncomfortable with all the high tech explanations, how is this for old-fashioned sleuthing? The New York Times on Thursday reported that the workday of the group that activated and operated the recently discovered Flame virus was on Jerusalem time!
Because Stuxnet and Duqu were written on the same platform and share many of the same fingerprints in their source code, researchers believe both were developed by the same group of programmers. Those developers have never been identified, but researchers have cited intriguing bits of digital evidence that point to a joint American-Israeli effort to undermine Iran’s efforts to build a nuclear bomb.
For example, researchers at Kaspersky Lab tracked the working hours of Duqu’s operators and found they coincided with Jerusalem local time. They also noted that Duqu’s programmers were not active between sundown on Fridays and sundown on Saturdays, a time that coincides with the Sabbath when observant Jews typically refrain from secular work.
Intelligence and military experts have said that Stuxnet was first tested at Dimona, an Israeli complex widely believed to be the headquarters of Israel’s atomic weapons program.
So much being written about Flame all over the internet. This once again demonstrates how Israel and the I lobby own U.S. foreign policy. Israel has clearly said to the U.S. play it our way or we will bomb. You never hear anything about Obama and team or anyone demanding that Israel sign the very Non Proliferation treaty that Iran signed. From what I have read over at the IAEA’s website Israel’s un inspected…undeclared stockpile of nuclear, biological and chemical weapons has been a decades long thorn in the side of everyone in the neighborhood. A real threat to peace in the middle east. And no one in the U.S. or Israel is talking about this. Israel needs to sign the NPT…open up to inspections.
This takes me back to the original four part report that Fox News reporter Carl Cameron did right after 9/11 about a foreign country infiltrating Israeli based communication systems that have access to 95% of Americans phone calls. Did Iran get into Israel’s system?
link to informationclearinghouse.info
And then to why the Bush administration purposely took Valerie Plame out who was allegedly following what Iran was doing in regard to their nuclear plan. Still would like to know what the supposed report about how Plame’s outing undermined U.S. National Security.
“I think it is both accurate and a powerful reminder that what Obama and his American and Israeli kosher cowboys are up to may be one day be considered a folly of historic dimensions.” That is what the former Bush administration officials and former CIA analyst Flynt and Hillary Mann Leverett think. That the Obama administration is playing the situation with Iran ALL WRONG
“[Obama] repeatedly expressed concerns that any American acknowledgment that it was using cyberweapons — even under the most careful and limited circumstances — could enable other countries, terrorists or hackers to justify their own attacks.”
Monkey see monkey do. If the U.S. and Israel strike Iran’s systems what does one expect Iran to do? Sit and take it…. or strike back?
Drone strikes against Pakistan have resulted in over 90% of the Pakistan public hating the US, surprise surprise, similarly in Yemen where Al Qaeda are multiplying thanks to the drones. These policies are so counterproductive that blowback is inevitable. The same with computer viruses, the US is so vunerable, maybe they think all their enemies live in caves and have no access to computers, by the way here is how the UK legislation regards cyber war—— 1, terrorism interpretation, 1e, Is designed seriously to interfere with or seriously to disrupt an electronic system. [ Terrorism Act 2000] Sorry I forgot terrorism is only terrorism when the other does it.
@ HarryLaw,
Profiteers are not interested in the pain and plight of those at the receiving end of our ‘justice from the sky’ US-R-War program. Japanese soldiers were shot for water-boarding GIs. Germans were hanged for crimes against humanity. It’s good to be victorious and the ultimate winner. The fact that it now is made to look like the US started this cyber-warfare against Iran would be laughable, if it weren’t for the seriousness of the crime. Everyone knows who’s behind this, but not everyone has the guts to say it out loud.
“maybe they think all their enemies live in caves and have no access to computers”
June 1 the issue of Obama running cyberwar against Iran was the morning question on Washington Journal. Caller comments were dismaying; most callers were all for it — “nobody gets hurt and Obama get credit for taking out the bad guys who want to kill us” sums up most comments.
One person had the temerity to say, Uh, our system runs on Anglo-American law; you have to prove a case . . .
but this Facebook comment stole the show:
Facebooker appears to believe Iranians DO live in caves and have no access to computers — other than the ones that Obama is attacking with computer viruses, that is.
Earth to American earthlings: Persians invented zero. Without zero, no computers.
Interesting to return to those days of yesteryear, read old news articles circa late 1930s re Germany, Japan, Stalin’s USSR. In 50 years, imagine the world writing about the US and Israel’s antics now. Well, as Shurb Jr said, “You can scribble now and later, I am the doer now.”
Reminds me of Hitler’s thoughts in the matter. They were the same. At dinner, prompted by a question concerning world opinion, he laughed and said, “Who remembers the Armenians?” As a boy, Hitler greatly enjoyed German pulp fiction regarding the romantic native American Indian wars. Old Shatterhand was his fav character. Does anyone else get the HEADY feeling we are headed for WW3? And just like WW2 was juiced by aftermath of WW1, WW2′s aftermath (Israel, not Nuremberg Trials, largely ignored) is juicing WW3?
@ Citizen,
this might be a side note: Friday China and Japan started to deal in their currencies [yuan and yen] directly, cutting out the usual swap into $ first. With a current trade volume of $440 billion and growing that’s a hefty sum. Furthermore, I don’t think Russia and China will allow anything to happen beyond the usual hot air and sabre rattling. The US’ decline is heartbreaking, as the wheels are coming off, but as it refuses to act as a responsible nation, I’ve stopped giving a rat’s ass. Thus, I don’t think we’re about to face WW III.
DANIEL RICH- “Furthermore, I don’t think Russia and China will allow anything to happen beyond the usual hot air and sabre rattling.”
If the US and Israel attack Iran, what can or will Russia and China do about it?
“The US’ decline is heartbreaking, as the wheels are coming off….”
Sounds to me like one hell of a reason for empire to take decisive action. And if Iran closes the straights of Hormuz, who will be hurt most? China? Japan? The US? If Iranian oil stops flowing, the Chinese and Japanese economies go into the toilet where they will remain until the US reopens the spigot. And I don’t want to hear any bullshit about oil being “fungible.” Don’t ever underestimate the geostrategic value of full spectrum dominance.
Also, China, Russia and Japan are capitalist nations enmeshed in a trade dependent global economy controlled by a global financial system headquartered in New York. The decline of the US nation state is linked with the rise of the financially controlled corporate empire which is in the process of conquering the world financially.
“Thus, I don’t think we’re about to face WW III.”
“Given the weapons now available and the growing political and diplomatic instability that has accompanied the demise of Communism, this is the most dangerous period in mankind’s entire history.” (Gabriel Kolko)
@ Keith,
You make it sound all very easy. In my humble opinion it’s a tad bit more complicated than what you portray.
link to washingtonpost.com
Countries nr. 1 & 2 are interesting link to huffingtonpost.com
Today its 78 link to businessweek.com
link to washingtontimes.com
link to articles.cnn.com..libya.syria_1_libya-syria-president-bashar?_s=PM:US/20061113-121539-3317r/
link to suntzusaid.com
“if Iran closes the straights of Hormuz, who will be hurt most? China? Japan? The US? If Iranian oil stops flowing, the Chinese and Japanese economies go into the toilet where they will remain until the US reopens the spigot.”
Which, if I were Iran, would be the reason I would be courting the Chinese like nobody’s business. Frankly, if they could gurantee the Japanese supply, which the US has it’s thumb up its ass protecting the ingrates in the Levant, it would sure show the world a thing or two of the rot in the US system.
DANIEL RICH- The point of my comment was not to predict a war, but rather to stress the uncertainty of the situation and to suggest that you overestimated the restraining influence of Russia and China. If they have any significant leverage with the empire in regards to Iran, I see no evidence of it. Surely things would not have progressed this far if they did.
Two of your links concerned the US debt which, I feel, deserve some additional comment. First of all, the notion that China has considerable strategic leverage over the US due to its sizable accumulation of US Treasuries is the conventional wisdom, however, it is wrong. China buys US Treasuries because there is little else they can do with their surplus dollars. The situation is complex and I am forced into simplifications to even raise the issue. I am going to conclude with a quote from a book I highly recommend.
“In fact, whereas U.S. domination of the world economy stemmed from 1920 through 1960 from its creditor position, its control from the 1960s has stemmed from its debtor position. Not only have the tables been turned, but U.S. diplomats have found that their leverage as the world’s major debtor economy is fully as strong as that which formerly had reflected its net creditor position.” (Michael Hudson, “Super Imperialism: The Origin and Fundamentals of U.S. World Dominance”)
WOODY TANAKA- “Frankly, if they could gurantee the Japanese supply….”
There are several pipeline projects in the works which, if and when completed, would provide China (Japan, too?) with significant energy independence outside US control. This could result in a significant geostrategic realignment, possibly rapid imperial collapse. This is why the empire seeks to reestablish imperial control over Iran’s government prior to pipeline completion. Additionally, the US is making a strategic pivot towards the Pacific to establish unquestioned dominance over the strategic energy shipping routes. This is very serious business, Israel but a part of it. Whether the empire will succeed in this risky business is another matter.
“Not only have the tables been turned, but U.S. diplomats have found that their leverage as the world’s major debtor economy is fully as strong as that which formerly had reflected its net creditor position.” (Michael Hudson, “Super Imperialism: “….
I think maybe Mr. Hudson doesn’t understand the China business mind or the China culture. They are very different from westerners….if they had to dump US dollars and suffer the losses they would if it was necessary to their long term economic goals or eventual dominance…….short term suffering is nothing to the Chinese…and China wouldn’t hesitate to inflict even lower living standards on their population….. they think much further out.
I have been reading about the British handover of Hong Kong …a good look at how the Chinese mind works in that take over.
does that mean that China must ‘protect’ or support U.S. because if US defaults on debt the whole system goes belly-up?
—
Nicholas Burns on a panel with Mort Zuckerman, Dennis Ross, Michael Makovsky a few days ago: Burns said the key player is Russia: U.S. must get, and possibly can get, Russia to side w/ US & Israel against Iran. China is a hopeless case, Burns said; China is too heavily invested in Iran and its own growth to be swayed to the US pov. link to c-spanvideo.org
@ Keith,
I don’t profess to fully understand the intricate fluctuations in [worldwide] economic systems, but I remember back in the day when the 1973 oil crisis meant all our Keynesian theories went right out of the window. Personally I think you do what most westerners do and that is to think ‘we’ are the unbeatable bad/good boys on the block. History is littered with the ashes of bad/good boys. Have a look at what happened before us @ link to en.wikipedia.org
Debt isn’t a good thing and being strong based on debt means you’re actually weak. Living in a bubble is an unsustainable situation on the long run.
DANIEL RICH- “Personally I think you do what most westerners do and that is to think ‘we’ are the unbeatable bad/good boys on the block.”
Hardly. Certainly not the good guys. In fact, I view the current trends as leading to disaster. We are moving in the wrong direction in most areas. If empire succeeds in ‘destroying the competition,’ we will proceed to a world of debt servitude for the citizens of the First World, massive starvation for the peasants of the Third World whose lands and water are being bought up by Wall Street speculators and others, eventually all of this leading to an environmental collapse. If empire fails in its efforts, a war is likely which could go nuclear putting an end to all of our plans. Yes, it would be great if empire showed restraint in its hyper aggressive war making, but that doesn’t seem to be part of the grand strategy. Below is a link to Rick Rozoff discussing the US pivot to the Pacific. The reason the US spends so much on the military is that Uncle Sam prefers a military solution. This is what the facts on the ground are telling me. Link:
link to dandelionsalad.wordpress.com
“Debt isn’t a good thing and being strong based on debt means you’re actually weak. Living in a bubble is an unsustainable situation on the long run.”
You have erroneously conflated debt with living in a bubble. We live in a debt based monetary system. Eliminate debt and you effectively eliminate all of the money. That is why European austerity is collapsing the Eurozone. The bankers know this, but are using the debt imposed austerity to impose neoliberalism, just as was done in the Third World by the IMF. This is why I rant and rave on my soap box about the necessity of replacing our privately controlled, debt based financial system with a publicly controlled system utilizing sovereign money. A sustainable, steady state economy absolutely requires this. Suggested reading (for those interested), “The Global Economic Crisis,” Michel Chossudovsky and Andrew Gavin Marshall, Editors.
ALLENBEE- “does that mean that China must ‘protect’ or support U.S. because if US defaults on debt the whole system goes belly-up?”
The short answer is yes, however, it goes deeper. Keep in mind that the US empire appears to be changing into a transnational corporate/financial empire. The new empire is somewhat independent of the US nation state. So, for example, the most dynamic sectors of the Chinese economy are run by transnational corporations who account for over 50% of Chinese exports, China functioning as an export platform. The interrelatedness of the global economy and the global financial system which controls its activities constitute an extraordinarily effective matrix of control. On the other hand, the system is highly unstable and increasingly subject to collapse.
AMERICAN- “I think maybe Mr. Hudson doesn’t understand the China business mind or the China culture.”
Jeez, what next, they don’t value life like we do? Let us not get carried away with a Far Eastern version of Orientalism. When he was head of the New York Fed, Tim Geithner met regularly with his Chinese counterpart. I’m sure that the heads of the transnational corporations which account for over 50% of Chinese exports have some experience dealing with the Chinese. Likewise, I assume that the Chinese capitalists exert a strong influence and are not radically different from capitalists anywhere. Rather than devote an inordinate amount of time trying to divine how the “Chinese mind works,” we should look at the facts and see where they lead us. Much of US policy is overtly hostile to China, which lost assets and opportunity in Libya, sees its relationship with Iran in jeopardy, and now confronts a massive US military buildup in Asia, its sphere of influence. One would think that if the Chinese could exert significant economic pressure on the US to alter its policies or else, they would. Yet, nothing. From this I conclude that the Chinese have rationally concluded that there is little they can do at this point in time except push for pipelines and hope for the best.
@ Keith,
link to atimes.com
Fortunately you seem to have all the answers.
DANIEL RICH- I’m not sure how to take your latest comment. Your link refers to what the author perceives as a speculative bubble. He is likely correct. We have a casino economy where speculation has pushed aside real investment resulting in speculative bubbles. Also, lacking productive investment opportunities, speculators are putting their money into commodities such as grains, oil futures, etc, driving the prices upward. It is a highly dysfunctional system whereby money has flowed upward from consumers to “investors” (speculators) as a consequence of tax policies. All of the money in the system, however, is debt money. Speculative bubbles, however, are not an inevitable consequence of systemic debt. As I indicated, no debt no money. Now, as I have also indicated, I strongly oppose a private financial system based upon debt money. Unfortunately, that is what we have now, therefore, to eliminate debt would require changing the financial system, an unlikely prospect in the short run particularly in view of the balance of power. Obviously, some people like the present system. The banks love it. They worked long and hard to achieve it and have acquired immense power because of it. Of course, to someone guided by conventional wisdom, I probably sound like a lunatic.
The US’ decline is heartbreaking, as the wheels are coming off, but as it refuses to act as a responsible nation, I’ve stopped giving a rat’s ass. Thus, I don’t think we’re about to face WW III”…Daniel Rich
I’ve stopped giving a rats ass too, or at least reconciled myself to the fact we have to hit bottom before we can ever come back.
However I don’t believe Israel’s goverment is at all rational.
And I think they think like Eric Alterman who said that if the choice was Israel or the US, the US would just have ‘to take the hit. They see the US as being able to take hit after hit for them….they see no end to our resources and think even if they drain most of it off there is still more that can be squeezed out of the American working masses if need be.
Israel will get their war or they will get so many more US billions to not attack Iran that it will feel like we’ve paid for another war.
@ American,
Q: However I don’t believe Israel’s goverment is at all rational.
R: My thoughts as well and with an ‘unstable friend’ at your side, who knows what happens next?
“And just like WW2 was juiced by aftermath of WW1, WW2′s aftermath (Israel, not Nuremberg Trials, largely ignored) is juicing WW3?”
Food for thought crimes:
RE: “…David Sanger reports on the ongoing joint US/Israeli effort to sabotage Iranian nuclear facilities including centrifuges producing enriched uranium… The Stuxnet virus is believed to be the first computer program that damaged physical infrastructure. ” ~ Ira Glunts
FROM THE WALL STREET JOURNAL, 5/29/12:
SOURCE – link to online.wsj.com
P.S. U.S./ISRAEL: A
LightBlight Unto the Nations!™Well Israel is now formally ‘denying’ any involvement….after having first bragged about their involvement.
But too late now….US-ISR has already been outed.
Cyber-terrorism.
Israel really is working hard to make the world despise it.
So, they’ve screwed up Japan, and ruined a large chunk of the Pacific. What next for their inventiveness?
@ RoHa,
side note: perhaps the following would be a good plan? link to youtube.com
Makes more sense than most of the other plans I hear about.
America has been under no threat from Iran, a signer of the NPT. Instead, the Bush and Obama administrations have compromised Americans’ cybersecurity by working in close sync with Israeli cyberespionage against Iran.