To read this article in its entirety, please visit eWeek: Stuxnet Malware Still Exploiting Microsoft Windows Security Hole

News of a Microsoft Windows zero-day vulnerability may have put the Stuxnet malware on the public’s radar, but it has not stopped the malware’s purveyors from trucking along.

As of this morning, Microsoft said it detected nearly 10,000 unique machines where Stuxnet infections were prevented.

The target of the malware is not ordinary users, but industrial companies using Siemens’ SCADA (supervisory control and data acquisition) software. Its appearance has given rise to concerns about targeted attacks against the critical infrastructure, particularly since many of the infections are being reported in the United States. According to figures released July 19 by ESET Virus Lab, nearly 58 percent of all compromises are being reported in the United States. Another 30 percent were being reported in Iran, the vendor found.

“This worm is an exemplary case of a targeted attack exploiting a zero-day vulnerability…[and targeting] the industrial supervisory software SCADA,” said Juraj Malcho, head of ESET’s Virus Lab, in a statement. “In short – this is an example of malware-aided industrial espionage. The question is why the chart of affected nations looks as it does.”