Stuxnet computer worm cyberattack defeated in Iran

The Stuxnet computer virus struck Iran again on Tuesday, but was rebuffed and prevented from spreading. 

The cyber attack, which disrupts computer networks, targeted manufacturing industries in the southern province of Hormozgan, Reuters reported. 

Iran's FARS news agency reported that the worm attacked the Culture Ministry's Headquarters for Supporting and Protecting Works of Art and Culture and was reportedly sent from Dallas via switches in Malaysia and Vietnam. 

Civil defense chief Ali Akbar Akhavan told reporters that this is just the latest of several cyber attacks in the region in recent months, according to the Associated Press. The government also claims that it has defused many cyber worms and malware, including Stuxnet and Flame viruses aimed at Iran's oil and nuclear sectors. 

"Enemies are constantly attacking Iran's industrial units through Internet networks in order to create disruptions," Akhavan said, according to Reuters. 

The US and other Western nations have accused Iran of building up its nuclear weapons program, a charge that Tehran repeatedly denies. Israel has threatened to take military action against Iran's nuclear facilities if ongoing sanctions by the West do not keep the country from developing its nuclear capacities, Reuters reported. 

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