US tried Stuxnet-style virus operation against North Korea but failed

San Francisco

THE United States tried to deploy a version of the Stuxnet computer virus to attack North Korea's nuclear weapons programme five years ago but ultimately failed, according to people familiar with the covert campaign.

The operation began in tandem with the now-famous Stuxnet attack that sabotaged Iran's nuclear programme in 2009 and 2010 by destroying a thousand or more centrifuges that were enriching uranium. Reuters and others have reported that the Iran attack was a joint effort by US and Israeli forces.