Stuxnet expert calls US the "good guys" in cyber-warfare

Sitting in the front row for the first full day of the International Conference on Cyber Conflict was one of the industry’s foremost “rock star” researchers, Ralph Langner. The German researcher has become one of the most-cited sources on Stuxnet, the US-and-Israeli computer worm that targeted Iran's nuclear program.

Langner's 2011 TED talk has been seen over half a million times, and he spoke at last year’s CyCon here in Estonia. He’s less worried about "Flame," a new piece of espionage malware that analysts here say has yet to be fully understood. At the moment, it also appears to specifically target Iran. “Flame is nothing really new. It doesn't bring any new qualities,” he said. “Cyber-espionage has been conducted for years. Duqu, the German [state trojan] does similar things—it can turn on the microphone for voice messages. It's not new. Espionage attacks are occurring worldwide on a daily basis and for purposes of state espionage. In my opinion, Flame might be a little bit overhyped.”