Zero Days

Zero Days investigates the Stuxnet computer virus, widely believed to have been developed by the US and Israel, which famously targeted and damaged an Iranian nuclear facility in 2010. The documentary’s title refers to the way the virus attacked facilities by exploiting zero-day vulnerabilities—flaws within software code that are undisclosed to the public and even unknown to vendors. The film provides a glimpse into cyber warfare and the geopolitical dangers that underpin it.

While Stuxnet was intended to destroy nuclear centrifuges at Iran’s Natanz plant in a military operation known as Olympic Games, the self-replicating worm inadvertently spread beyond its initial target to networks across the world. The virus takes its name from a combination of words found within its source code.

Zero Days features interviews with a range of high-ranking officials and security experts, including researchers from antivirus vendor Symantec; Eugene Kaspersky, founder and CEO of Kaspersky Lab; former NSA Deputy Director Chris Inglis; former Cybersecurity Director for the Department of Homeland Security Sean McGurk; and Colonel Gary D. Brown of the United States Cyber Command, among many others. The film concludes by examining the development of Nitro Zeus, a sister virus to Stuxnet capable of disabling Iran’s air defences and infrastructure, which was later shelved following the signing of the Iran nuclear deal.