I agree. This is definitley a good read and kept me want to read it all. I usually skim read most articles but this made me want to read the whole article.
I really enjoyed it as well. It provides enough technical detail while still being accessible. Some of the analogies are a bit of a stretch, but you'll have that.
I was disturbed by the implication that the researchers should stop investigating Stuxnet (or refrain from publishing) because of the possibility that it was a US or Israel covert op. There are so many problems with that reasoning, and I'm glad they weren't swayed by it.
Not sure if this is a username troll, but at this point many people had the stuxnet code, so all that would have happened if they didn't publish their findings is that it would have increase the risk to our power plants because it made it more accessible to the people that are actually in the position of defending our power plants, whereas enemy clandestine intelligence agencies would have the motivation to analyse the code anyway and re-purpose it for an attack.
Furthermore, even if Iran does make WMDs, they do not pose a serious threat to Israel or the United States. Their delivery systems (missiles/rockets) are very antiquated and can be reliably intercepted and a suitcase nuke has extraordinary low yield. And even if they somehow gain the capability to effectively use their WMDs they would not do so due to MAD.
Furthermore, even if Iran does make WMDs, they do not pose a serious threat to Israel or the United States. Their delivery systems (missiles/rockets) are very antiquated and can be reliably intercepted and a suitcase nuke has extraordinary low yield.
This is incredibly naive. A simple ship sailing into NY harbor could easily deliver a nuclear weapon, even if it was large and unrefined. This is especially the case for a U235 gun-type (ie Little Boy) weapon, which requires relatively little sophistication.
And even if they somehow gain the capability to effectively use their WMDs they would not do so due to MAD.
Nobody would fly airplanes into a buildings because human beings want to live, right?
Mad is the argument against nuclear war when the actors are somewhat reasonable. What happens if you get unreasonable actors that don't really care who dies, their countrymen and themselves included. At that point, we are totally screwed. I would be surprised if these type of people don't exist. Lets hope they never get near a nuclear weapon.
Somehow Kruschev, Stalin, and friends were not crazy enough. It's easy to call someone a nutjob. It's hard to know what it's like to face the sober realization that you could, if you wanted, end human life on earth.
