While the state actors have frequently investigated cybersecurity incidents that affected the private sectors in the past, the reverse was only a recent phenomenon. In fact, the 2010 Symantec reports on the malware Stuxnet was one of the first incidents where a commercial organization’s research and publication on cyberattacks had large impacts on the political landscape. The paper describes the Symantec reports’ focus on the geopolitical implication of the malware, which was unique at that time. The technical analysis section of the report mostly focuses on the source code of the malware, but reveals certain path names that contain biblical references. Moreover, the inspection showed that the main target of the code was Iranian nuclear facility. The report then connected the malware with the then ongoing event of the UN’s investigation of Iran’s nuclear endeavors. This report had a more profound impact on international politics than what it seems like on the surface. It brought many state actors’ and international organizations’ attention to the cybersecurity attack. Consequently, the malware, while the instigator was unknown nor never formally claimed responsible by any government, materialized as a concrete artifact of geopolitical struggles of the time.
