Cyberattack affects Iranian nuke sites

TEHRAN, July 25 (UPI) -- Iran Wednesday called on the United Nations to condemn organized cyberattacks in the wake of the latest attack on its nuclear program computers.

Ali Hakim Javadi, the head of Iran's Information Technology and Communications department, told reporters he raised the issue during a recent visit to Geneva, Switzerland, and called on the United Nations Communications Group to act to prevent cyberattacks, the state-run Islamic Republic News Agency said.

His statements came amid reports Iran's Atomic Energy Organization's computer systems were attacked by computer malware that affected computer systems at some of the country's nuclear facilities.

Leading researcher Mikko Hypponen of the Finnish security firm F-Secure said he recently received an e-mail from an Iranian scientist, informing him systems were hit compromised, the Australian daily The (Melbourne) Herald Sun said.

Hypponen who said he verified the e-mail was from Iran's Atomic Energy Organization, posted portions of the Iranian scientist's e-mail on his blog, the International Business Times said.

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

"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."