Facts:

1. Siemens SCADA systems around the world were hit by Stuxnet virus.
2. Some of the systems are in Iran
3. From BBC report: “Stuxnet was first detected in June by a security firm based in Belarus, but may have been circulating since 2009.”
4. “Siemens was neither involved in the reconstruction of Bushehr or any nuclear plant construction in Iran, nor delivered any software or control system,” he said. “Siemens left the country nearly 30 years ago.”
5. “Siemens said that it was only aware of 15 infections that had made their way on to control systems in factories, mostly in Germany.”

Yet the Media speculates:

• “The sophisticated super virus Stuxnet” - Deutche Welle
• “One of the most sophisticated pieces of malware ever detected was probably targeting “high value” infrastructure in Iran, experts have told the BBC.”
• “Stuxnet’s complexity suggests it could only have been written by a “nation state”, some researchers have claimed”
• “The fact that we see so many more infections in Iran than anywhere else in the world makes us think this threat was targeted at Iran and that there was something in Iran that was of very, very high value to whomever wrote it,” Liam O’Murchu of security firm Symantec, who has tracked the worm since it was first detected, told BBC News.

Facts seem to contradict the speculation, but the story becomes more interesting, doesn’t it?

However, Mr O’Murchu and others, such as security expert Bruce Schneier, have said that there was currently not enough evidence to draw conclusions about what its intended target was or who had written it.

And now my speculation:

As Siemens are obviously do not actively involve themselves in the PR and reports of  “some researchers have claimed”, it looks like Symantec are doing all they can do to blow this story out of proportions. This is not a story of “Symantec software failed to identify and stop a malware”, but “Symantec cannot possibly identify and stop such a sophisticated Super Virus written by a Nation State”.

Was quite impressed with UNIST building and environment. Recently opened, UNIST is trying to Foster Elites in Science and Technical Fields . Even more interesting is, that ALL lectures are planned to be given in English.

Some Photos:

For more, go to my Flickr UNIST set

Something wrong with WiMAX Forum website:

C-Motech certification page indicates the board combines WiMAX and CDMA. Does this mean that KDDI and UQ WiMAX planning a joint campaign for data services?

But that’s not really a reason for a blog post. In the Rules section I found the following clause:

You are not a national or resident of any of the following countries or provinces: Burma (Myanmar), Cuba, Iran, North Korea, Quebec, Sudan and Syria, or anywhere where the contest is prohibited by law. Burma (Myanmar), Cuba, Iran, North Korea, Sudan, and Syria are restricted by US export controls and sanctions programs and are therefore not eligible to participate in Code Jam. Google reserves the right to relax any of these restrictions if permitted by law before the start of the Qualification Round.

It is interesting to see Quebec (Canada) in the same list with countries that are restricted by US export controls and sanctions. Google does not offer any explanation, but I found s Google Group Discussion that sheds some light.

Phonegap is a cross platform mobile framework developed (sponsored) by Nitobi.

Phonegap uses Google groups, and provide a link from their website to the group homepage. For some unknown reason, I was required to authorize accesing adult material.

I wonder, is this a google group glitch or the Phonegap discussions are not only about iPhone/Android and Mobile framework.

As I could easily guess, the WiMAX market has shrunk enough for ALU to get out of the business, thus focusing in their core business and future LTE.

Alcatel-Lucent will reduce spending on WiMAX by “partnering, co-sourcing and participating in the consolidation of the industry,” it said. Other areas that will meet the same fate include customer premise equipment, some legacy applications, and the company’s portfolio of fixed-line telecommunications products not based on the IMS (IP Multimedia Subsystem) core.

To me it is clear that ALU will partnet with Alvarion for Mobile WiMAX, as they have done in the past with the “Fixed” WiMAX. These are great news for Alvarion as another big player is getting out of the Market; Nortel has announced the same a few months ago and partnered with Alvarion, though I don’t think we have seen the result in Alvarion’s balance sheet.

What Next?

Other two big players are Motorola and Samsung:

• Samsung – I don’t expect Samsung giving up on WiMAX, as it is their beachhead into the Mobile World outside Korea
• Motorola – More difficult to predict, but if I have to, my guess is MOTO will also get out of the WiMAX business.

Alas, someone already implemented it… back to thinking of new innovative ideas.

Link to the JukeTube