Alex Gibney explores the phenomenon of Stuxnet, a self-replicating computer virus discovered in 2010 by international IT experts. Evidently commissioned by the US and Israeli governments, this malware was designed to specifically sabotage Iran’s nuclear programme. However, the complex computer worm ended up not only infecting its intended target but also spreading uncontrollably.
Direction
Gibney turns code into genuine suspense.
Editing
Complex technical info made terrifyingly accessible.
Sound
Score makes server rooms feel like horror sets.
Director
Alex Gibney
Yossi Melman
Self
George W. Bush
Self (archive footage)
Hillary Clinton
Self (archive footage)
Mikhail Gorbachev
Self (archive footage)
Ronald Reagan
Self (archive footage)
Abdul Qadeer Khan
Self (archive footage)
Barack Obama
Self (archive footage)
Benjamin Netanyahu
Self (archive footage)
Joanne Tucker
NSA Character
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
The 'zero days' title refers to undiscovered software vulnerabilities—Stuxnet used four simultaneously, unprecedented at the time. The NSA actually had a stockpile of them.
Stuxnet proved cyber weapons could cause physical destruction, fundamentally rewriting international law and military doctrine. Countries now treat code like missiles.
US
