Former Pentagon general investigated for Stuxnet leak

A former US Marine and four-star general with a close relationship to President Barack Obama is under investigation for leaking news of Operation Olympic Games, the program responsible for developing the Stuxnet worm.

Stuxnet wreaked havoc in Iran's Natanz uranium enrichment facility in 2010, causing some 1000 centrifuge systems to be physically destroyed.

The zero-day laden malware was designed specifically to target the Natanz systems and was reported to have set back Iran's nuclear enrichment program by up to two years.

The US and Israel were long suspected of having orchestrated the Stuxnet attack but it wasn't until a New York Times report on 1 July, 2012 that both Operation Olympic Games and the two nation's alleged involvement had come to public light.

An unnamed official, now said to be former General James Cartwright, according to NBC Nightly News, was behind the leaked details of how Iran was targeted in the Obama-backed program.

Now Cartwright, a key member of Obama's inner circle of national security advisors who reportedly oversaw Operation Olympic Games from the Pentagon, is reportedly under a criminal investigation by the US Department of Justice.

At the time of the leak, Obama told reporters his approach was of "zero tolerance to these kinds of leaks" adding that such disclosures were "criminal".

Cartwright and his lawyer did not comment to NBC.

Legal sources told NBC the FBI initially suspected the leak came from the White House.

Subpoenas have not been issued for phone records from the New York Times.

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