Siemens confirms first virus aimed at industrial controls

The 'Stuxnet' malware is spread via USB devices

Siemens has uncovered a virus that explicitly targets the industrial command and control systems in which the company specialises.

The 'Stuxnet' malware is spread via USB devices, which are commonly used to update manufacturing hardware. The code is designed to steal manufacturing and industrial process data and pass it on to third parties.

"What is unique about Stuxnet is that it uses a new method of propagation," said Tareq Saade from the Microsoft Malware Protection Center.

"Specifically, it takes advantage of specially crafted shortcut files (also known as .lnk files) placed on USB drives to automatically execute malware as soon as the .lnk file is read by the operating system.

"In other words, simply browsing to the removable media drive using an application that displays shortcut icons (like Windows Explorer) runs the malware without any additional user interaction."

Siemens believes that only one customer has been infected so far, but said that the company is keeping a eye out for further incidents.