Mikko H. Hypponen of F-Secure publishes an email he claims is from a scientist with the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran (or AEOI), which details a new "cyber attack" wave against Iranian nuclear systems.

Snip: "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."

Mikko can't validate the email or the tale therein, and neither can we, but if it's true? Heh.

* The 'shoop above is mine, not the hackers'.

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Boing Boing editor/partner and tech culture journalist Xeni Jardin hosts and produces Boing Boing's in-flight TV channel on Virgin America airlines (#10 on the dial), and writes about living with breast cancer. Diagnosed in 2011. @xeni on Twitter. email: xeni@boingboing.net.

MORE: ac/dc • Funny • hackers • hacking • iran • military • music • nuclear • war

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mccrum

If its true, I expect to see RIAA looking into this as diligently as they pursue everyone else…
- http://twitter.com/bayreporta John C. Osborn
  
  ahahahaha word
- http://constipanimated.tumblr.com/ Greg
  
  This is just the beginning. As I write this, hackers are are seeding cartoons lampooning Charles Carreon on those same workstations.
http://dashifen.com/ dashifen

I would have gone with Dirty Deeds myself….
- Cocomaan
  
  Too bad there’s no weapons program, or it might actually be clever!
  - http://twitter.com/Fongoloid64 Chris
    
    you forgot the quotes around “no weapons program”
    - Navin_Johnson
      
      Countries without those capabilities have a bad habit of being invaded, bombed, looted, or having their sovereignty otherwise undermined by Western interests.
      
      http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2011/nov/17/iran-want-nuclear-bomb
      - http://profile.yahoo.com/HOIP7VD5SXL2CK76547JGAODNQ R
        
        Excellent response. Thanx.
  - http://profile.yahoo.com/HOIP7VD5SXL2CK76547JGAODNQ R
    
    Thanks, Cocomaan. Word.
- http://www.jjsaul.com Jim Saul
  
  I’d go with the greatest love song ever written…
  
  “The Jack”
Anaerin

Thunderstruck? Someone let Mr. Stark know Jarvis has hacked the wrong computer again.
http://www.poisonyourmind.com/ nickgb

Has nobody looked into a possible Maximum Overdrive angle?
http://www.youtube.com/user/Freethinkersanon Christopher

So they used AC/DC because using Rick Astley is considered a crime against humanity?
http://www.geekman.ca GeekMan

In my imagination, even a handful of computers simultaneously playing Thunderstruck at max volume over shitty computer speakers, and almost certainly without any synchronization, is a horrifying cacophony to behold.
http://www.facebook.com/JeffreyKarter Jeffrey Karter

Here’s link to what looks to be the actual music video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6Evu8L2pF7w

The video features military images – helicopters, troops, etc. It’s practically a military promo video. Not surprising that it gets used in a military cyber-weapon.
- snordalisk
  
  That is not the official music video. This is the correct one:
  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RukUetw0hAM
- ocker3
  
  Notice the unit designation in the bottom-right corner? It’s a fan video created by someone associated with that unit
cservant

Why do they *need* to be connected to the internet?

Isolate systems? If needed remote work, restricted gateway? no?
- mccrum
  
  The article is very informative on such matters:
  “The hackers had access to our VPN.”
  - http://daruiburns.tumblr.com/ Dlo Burns
    
    Not very P is it?
    - http://glitch.tl/ Michael Smith
      
      They frequently aren’t these days.
http://twitter.com/matcatastrophe mat catastrophe

Anyone care to explain how a scientist in a repressive society that banned music thirty years ago would even know who the hell AC/DC is?
- roobar
  
  Most of the Iranians I’ve worked/studied with suggest that while the regime is intolerant it isn’t anywhere near as repressive as the media in the west make out (at least not about music and dress).
  And AC/DC are 40 years old, so it might be an old diehard (ok, thunderstruck was 90′s)
  - http://twitter.com/matcatastrophe mat catastrophe
    
    ARE YOU SUGGESTING THE MEDIA LIE TO US?
    
    I AM SHOCKED.
    
    (ok, so I actually aim slightly on this one)
- Donald Petersen
  
  It’s just possible a greybeard Iranian scientist may remember Bon Scott-era AC/DC from before the 1979 revolution.
  
  Oi!
- http://daruiburns.tumblr.com/ Dlo Burns
  
  From what I understand lots of media is smuggled through neighbors like Armenia (there’s a great scene in Persepolis about going to the market and getting illegal tapes). Also the regime was late playing catch up on net censorship, and still doesn’t do that great a job of it.
- Ipo
  
  Technical universities have internet access.
alex4point0

Don’t forget our mate J. Assange ‘mentored’ virus writers performing a similar deed with Australian rock music lyrics more than twenty years ago… allegedly.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/WANK_(computer_worm)
http://twitter.com/24HourUnlock 24 Hour Unlock

Who made who woulda been epic.. then a big boom.. even more epic

Report: hackers targeting Iranian nuclear facilities "AC/DC-rolled" workstations after attack

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