Retired U.S. General Accepts Charges Regarding Leak of Cyber Attack 'Stuxnet' Against Iran

Retired General James Cartwright, former Vice Chairman of the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff, has accepted charges related to false statements regarding the leak of secrets about the cyber attack Stuxnet on Iran's nuclear facilities. According to Reuters, General Cartwright appeared in federal court in Maryland on Monday and accepted the charges. Judge Richard Leon asked General Cartwright if he understood the charges against him, to which he responded that he accepts the charges. The charges could lead to a five-year prison sentence for General Cartwright; however, his attorney informed the judge that the government and defense lawyers have agreed that his imprisonment should not exceed six months. The sentencing for the retired general is set to be announced on January 1, but the length of the sentence will be determined by Judge Leon. During investigations regarding the leak of secrets about the Stuxnet cyber attack on Iran's nuclear facilities, Cartwright had stated that he was not the source of the leaked information to David Sanger, a New York Times journalist, who detailed the cyber attack in his book. According to Reuters, the federal prosecutors' complaint also states that General Cartwright misled investigators during inquiries regarding the leak of information to another journalist named Daniel Klaidman. The American newspaper 'New York Times' had reported in June 2012 that the delays in Iran's nuclear program were the result of a joint Israeli-American cyber attack, and the Stuxnet malware had disrupted uranium enrichment in Iran. According to the report, Stuxnet was initially tested at the Dimona nuclear reactor in Israel. The newspaper reported that the Dimona reactor had served as a 'laboratory' for two years to ensure the Stuxnet malware was operational. The New York Times cited unnamed security officials and intelligence experts, stating that Israel had produced centrifuges similar to those used in Iran's Natanz enrichment facility at the Dimona facility.