Feds stopping trucks on I-20 in Georgia in counterterror operation

Those Methodists again, no doubt. "Counter-Terror Operation Stops Trucks On I-20," from WSBTV.com, September 27 (thanks to all who sent this in):

DOUGLAS COUNTY, Ga. -- A team of federal agents stopped tractor-trailers on Interstate 20 just west of Atlanta, inspecting each truck as it passed through a weigh station, and Channel 2 has learned its part of a counter-terrorism operation.

Channel 2's Linda Stouffer reported a flashing sign on the interstate directed the trucks to pull into a state-owned inspection station near Lee Road in Douglas County at the height of the evening commute.

Channel 2 Action News confirmed that agents from several federal agencies, including Homeland Security, the Department of Transportation, and the Transportation Security Administration were involved. The Douglas County Sheriff's Office assisted in the exercise....

However, federal sources told Channel 2 investigative reporter Mark Winne the inspections are part of a counter-terrorism operation.

News Chopper 2 showed screening devices, dogs and a large drive-through bomb detection machine in use along the eastbound interstate near Lee Road.

Trucks were being sorted into two lines, one with more rigorous screening. Agents used a variety of devices to check the exteriors of the trailers, including a large drive-through machine similar to a security tool used at the Super Bowl, and a tool that measures radiation.

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I hope this is a drill... or has Iran has unleashed it's nuclear armed sleeper cells as retaliation for the the catastrophic damage the Stuxnet virus has caused?

Hmmmm they know something, there is no way they are going to all this trouble for no reason.

I wonder if this has to do with the plot foiled in Euorpe.

Yet, the Feds are suing Ariz for doing the same thing!

They should be doing it at our Southern Borders. We have so real danger there...what with the Colombian Cartel slipping through.

Stuxnet and nuclear blackmail FAQ

(Q) What damage has Stuxnet done to Iran?
(A) Stuxnet has destroyed all the files in Iran's industrial computers and all of it's backup files

(Q) Why are these files important?
(A) These are the files that run Iran's industrial/military complex. Without them Iran cannot assemble cars without manufacturing errors, they cannot run their centrifuges to enrich uranium without breakdowns, they cannot start-up Bushehr safely, they cannot run their oil industry. By destroying these files with Stuxnet, Iran's industrial/military complex has come to a screeching halt.

(Q) What are the long-term implications of this destruction?
(A) Iran's industrial military complex cannot use these computer files without enormous risk and catastrophic consequences. Not without the risk of the attacker manipulating the data on the files - say by turning off the coolant pump in a reactor thus causing it to meltdown - like Chernobyl or Three Mile Island.

(Q) Can't they just replace the files from their backups?
(A) Self-replicating code has been injected into all Step7 files so that if you open any one of the files, Stuxnet re-infects the computer. Since Stuxnet has been around since January 2010, all current files AND backups have also been infected. Even if you were to by a brand new computer and load up the backup files, the computer is re-infected as soon as you open any one of those Step7 files.

(Q) Can't they just erase the virus from the Step7 files?
(A) No. If you try to remove it, it makes the file unusable, just destroys it. Same with the backup files.

(Q) So how do the Iranians recover this irreplaceable data?
(A) They can't, They have to throw everything in the trash and start over. That means all the PLC hardware the computers drive: drills, saws, robots, valves, pumps or any device that has a Siemens's PLC controller. They have to throw away all the Step7 files they've developed over the years. They have to buy new PLC hardware and Siemens's Step7 software - which they can't - because all of this is restricted under UN sanctions.

(Q) There is no way for the Iranian's to recover?
(A) None short of negotiating with the attacker for the "key" that disables Stuxnet.

(Q) Is Stuxnet nuclear blackmail?
(A) Obama said that Iran had to end it's nuclear program or face consequences.

How long before they could have an entirely new system built or in place?

Mmmmm. . .that's smart. Thanks for the clue-up paperjoe.

"The VIRUS of the World and Humankind" attacked and taken out by a virus... now that seems fitting! Ha! I LOVE IT! :)

(Q) There is no way for the Iranian's to recover?
(A) None short of negotiating with the attacker for the "key" that disables Stuxnet.

(Q) So how do the Iranians recover this irreplaceable data?
(A) They can't, They have to throw everything in the trash and start over. That means all the PLC hardware the computers drive: drills, saws, robots, valves, pumps or any device that has a Siemens's PLC controller. They have to throw away all the Step7 files they've developed over the years. They have to buy new PLC hardware and Siemens's Step7 software - which they can't - because all of this is restricted under UN sanctions
----------------------------------------------
So if the system was disabled by the US, Israel or some other third un-named country, they will likely not be able to get the system going again due to UN sanctions, unless some country bypasses and sells them the system.

If Stuxnet was created by a hacker group extorting the Iranians for money, then once they pay the money, they will be able to resume their nuclear ambitions.

Personally I'm hoping it was one of the countries that won't allow them to resume their nuclear ambitions. I've had it with the pompous ass Ahmedijinad. It would be a nice big F*** you to him.

They can't rebuild with Siemen's, it's prohibited under UN resolutions. They can buy all new components from the Russians or Chinese but they will have to retool all of their plants from the floor up at a cost of many billions - maybe even a trillion dollars. As far as how long before in place...probably a year or two.

Iran puts off Bushehr nuclear plant launch to early 2011
www.haaretz.com

Iranian officials deny Stuxnet virus has affected major systems at nuclear plant, but analysts believe Iran may be suffering wider sabotage.

OT note

Anyone not familiar with Siemens, they are a german manufacturer that makes all kinds of electronic devices. Some of the more notable devices have been Pacemakers. You can check out their website for all the devices they make. The list is quite impressive.

They also make hearing aids, which I've had a pair that lasted 8 years before they literally disentegrated. I never had to have them repaired or serviced the entire time I owned the pair. My current pair of hearing aids have had to be fixed at least once per year since I've owned them, which has been three years.

Think the Unthinkable: "The Iranians are now running their industrial/military productions on permanently infected systems that can be accessed and sabotaged at will by US/Israel agents. Unless they can get the "keycode" that disables Stuxnet their economy and regime will crash...fast. The mullahs are angry and desperate, their only option is to blackmail us. A nuke with a timer hidden in US city is the only leverage the mullahs have...period.

The mullahs are not going to back down...and we all know this.

You mean computers need virus protection? Ahmed, I told you that using decadent western technology is Haram! I don't care if we needed it to make our Islamic atomic bombs!

It was so much simpler in the prophet's time! All he need for jihad was some camels, swords and out-of-work Muslims! Curse the Americans and their devil technology!

paperjoe - very interesting material! Wikipedia even has information, updated about a week ago, about how Stuxnet might have been used to target Iran's infrastructure.

Stuxnet is nominally identified with the Windows operating system, which will undoubtedly warm the hearts of the ABM (Anything But Microsoft) crowd. But once the basic concept is understood it could be adapted to Unix-based operating systems (which includes Apple and all the variants of Linux), as well. Hence, our own industrial/military infrastructure may also potentially become vulnerable to similar attacks. This is very scary stuff.

I would guess that entry level salaries of computer security specialists just notched up a bit with this news.

I'm personally relishing the irony of the Stuxnet worm.

Jihadists use our laws and customs against us to infiltrate and subvert our laws against us.

Looks like they just got screwed using Infidel Technology.

No, it's not the Methodists, Mr. Spencer.

This time it's the Christian Scientists.

http://www.jewishdailyreport.wordpress.com

Thanks for the great info "P"!

@ tanstaafl-"Devil Technology" Lol! Dork! :)

This really does give a whole new meaning to the term "cyber war" for me!

Sorry to keep dragging the thread away from the main story, but the Stuxnet story is just too good to let go. Besides, I think the two are probably loosely related, in the sense that both are evidence of very sophisticated behind-the-scenes efforts by the good guys to outsmart the opposition.

There is a website dedicated to Stuxnet-related news for anyone interested in following this important story.

http://www.stuxnet.net/

Those Methodists again....no doubt.

Not Methodists - this is Georgia! It's the Southern Baptists.

Thinking the Unthinkable, Part II

Obama Blackmails mullahs with Stuxnet. Will the mullahs blackmail Obama with a nuke hidden in Atlanta to get the keycode?

Stuxnet is a rifle-focused cyber-missile. It's primary mission is to infect Siemens's Step7 files with code that will allow US/Israeli agents to sabotage operations on Obama's command.

Step7 files are located on the computers that operate the centrifuges at Nataanz, and the computers that ensure the safe operation of the Bushehr nuclear plant. Furthermore, the virus has infected the computers in Iran's auto assembly plants and in it's oil production facilities, many of which use Siemens's PLC controllers and Step7 software. In fact, Siemens hardware and software is standardized within Iran's industrial/military complex.

Stuxnet infects a Step7 file through a binary seeding method that can't be reversed without trashing the file. You can try and hack the seeding out of a Step7 file but when your're finished, the fire structure and data paths are broken, the file won't open, thus the file is destroyed.

Stuxnet is self-replicating. Once a computer is infected It infects all other Step7 files found on the computer. Since Stuxnet was released in January 2010, all the backup files since then have been infected.

Millions upon millions of lines of Step7 code and files are now irreversibly infected. If the Iranians continue to run these infected files, the equipment the computers control can be sabotaged by US/Israeli agents at will. Agents could turn off a cooling pump at Bushehr causing the core to overheat and be permanently damaged. They could affect how cars are made in Iran's auto plants. Agents could even destroy Iran's oil production facilities and operations by turning a couple of pipeline valves on/off, creating uncontrolled explosions in pipelines and refineries, halting Iran's primary source of hard currency.

Obama's motives for unleashing Stuxnet is to (1) cripple Iran's nuclear program in it's entirety (Bushehr, Nataanz and all other hidden sites) plus (2) give him the tool to affect and enforce the regimes nuclear compliance if they acquiesce, and (3) barring all other scenarios, implement regime change by massively shutting down Iran's economy through widespread acts of industrial sabotage.

There is only one way out of all this: the "keycode," that disables Stuxnet. Obama has it. The mullahs need it desperately.

Acquiesce or Nuclear Blackmail

The nuclear program has been crippled by Stuxnet's sabotage. If they continue to run the infected Step7 files on the remainder of Iran's industrial systems, those systems are threatened by possible sabotage as well. There is no way the mullahs can disable Stuxnet without the keycode, and there is no way they can risk further sabotage to the remaining systems without it.

The mullahs are certain of this, time is running out, they're scared and they are getting desperate. Their sole remaining option is nuclear blackmail - forcing Obama to hand over the "keycode" that disables Stuxnet.

We know Iran has dirty nukes and it's possible they have fully functional warheads. If the mullahs have managed to smuggle one into the US and hide it in a city, let's say Atlanta - and hook it up to a timer - according to the mullahs warped mindset, all of Obama's options will drop to zero. .

In order to win, this is the only move the mullahs have to play. Obama is certain of this.

Unthinkable.

paperjoe, truly fascinating scenario. I'm wondering, did you compose this or are you taking it from another source? Thanks.

With 26 years in computers with 9 years in virus detection and remediation, I am merely connecting the dots to the best of my knowledge. These are my own words.

It is extremely well-composed. Very thought provoking analysis, deserving to reach a wider audience than JW itself might extend to. Have you posted it elsewhere?

No. You have my permission to run with it.

Stuxnet and nuclear blackmail FAQ...
...............

I hope it's as devastating as you imply, paperjoe. I'm not usually a big fan of the use of computer viruses and worms, but I make a *huge* exception in this case.

If it has shut the Iranian nuclear weapons program down—or even significantly stymied it—then we owe these hackers an *enormous debt of gratitude".

Going for wider dissemination would not be for me, but rather for you, to do. To have credibility it would need to (a) reflect authorship by someone with verifiable credentials, and (b) be fact checkable. Without these, it would simply enter into the realm of conspiracy.

What good would come about from wider dissemination other than for people to know they should be aware of the possibility of a nuclear attack on American soil?

Obama has already stated that America could withstand another 9/11 attack. Perhaps this was his calling card to the Mullahs to say "doesn't matter what kind of retaliation you inflict, this is how things will be".

Personally I would love to see regime change in Iran. It would be a win-win for the US. I would feel bad for Iranians until they oust the Mad Mullahs and Ahmadinajacket.

I was driving down I95 South of Philly today, and I didn't think much about it then, but there were lots of trucks in the weigh stations. Hmmmm...

لن استسلم‎

The reason for going public using a source that can be fact checked, meaning someone willing to take responsibility for writing it, is that there are stories floating around that mention Stuxnet is a false flag operation by the administration to stampede the public into accepting restrictions on the Internet. This story would feed into that, of course, which would raise suspicions that this story is part of the false flag program. This is why it's necessary for the author to step forward and defend it.

The nuke part of it is no more sensational than what we have already heard about weapons in suitcases or aboard freighters or coming across the border in trucks.

"Going for wider dissemination would not be for me, but rather for you, to do. To have credibility it would need to (a) reflect authorship by someone with verifiable credentials, and (b) be fact checkable. Without these, it would simply enter into the realm of conspiracy."

Connecting-the-dots is my passion.

With the exception of a few nomenclature omissions the facts are accurate, see here: http://news.cnet.com/8301-27080_3-20017201-245.html

With regard to my "verifiable credentials," well, I stayed at a Holiday Inn Express once... I have the receipt!

The cnet link is the same as I gave in my earlier comment.

"With regard to my "verifiable credentials," well, I stayed at a Holiday Inn Express once... I have the receipt!"

OK, thank you for the exchange. Bye.

Thanks for the scenario. Do you think that might be the reason for Obama's "the US is able to absorb another attack" rhetoric?

And although stuxnet might end up biting us in the a$$ in some way, for today I am loving it and wishing I could be a fly on the wall in Amadinnerjacket's office.

According to a truck driver from the Atlanta area who called into the Neal Boortz show today, this truck screening scenario was a planned event; he said he knew about it two weeks ago. He said it was a test to see how fast and efficiently the various law enforcement/HLS agents could screen large trucks. He seemed to know what he was talking about but you never know.

I live in Georgia and drive to or through Atlanta often. Traffic is an indescribable nightmare unless you time things just right, but I'll take Atlanta to D.C. any day.


paperjoe, I want to share this information on the damage, do you have links? Iran would hide the extent of the damage so how could we know?

Paperjoe,

Do you think this is real and, if so, as serious as the iranians make it out to be? Or is this just the Iranian government blowing smoke up our collective butts?

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