Weaponized Worm

I have built my fair share of targeted programs.  Heck, any program written for a specific person can be considered a 'targeted program'.  What's new under this dark sun is the release of a weaponized targeted worm - built to propagate itself everywhere, but only attack a single target.  And then it tries to destroy it.  Really, physically blow it up!

Check this out: The Stuxnet Malware code has already been found in hundreds of facilities - quietly looking for the exact hardware specs of an as-yet-undetermined factory or energy production facility (there is much speculation that the target could be Iran's Bushehr nuclear power plant). 

"[Experts] suggest that it is most likely associated with a national government and that terrorism, ideological motivation or even extortion cannot be ruled out.  Stuxnet began spreading more than a year ago..."  -- Joseph Menn and Mary Watkins of the Financial Times

The code is the digital equivalent of a Tomahawk cruise missile with a nuclear payload.  So far, nobody knows who wrote it or released it.  It can propagate without a hard line to the Internet or interaction by users - mere physical contact with infected systems is enough (i.e.: just plugging in a flash drive will copy it).  It's fast, nasty, and elegant.
As a geek who used to wear that distinguished hat of 'hacker', back when it meant something different than it does today - all I can say is, "I'm not worthy! I'm not worthy! What an awesome piece of work!"
As a citizen who lives in the cyber-world - all I can say is, "Holy #@$!  This sucks!"
The genie is now officially out of the bottle.  Once anyone uses this level of attack, it opens the door to technological retaliation and eventually making the weapon a standard one.  This has dire implications for the digital infrastructure which has become so central to our lives.  We do not have any counter-measures for a cyber-super-weapon like this one - it truly represents a whole new level of digital-to-analog badness.