UK based Royal Institute of International Affairs, commonly known as Chatham House has warned that nuclear weapons reliant on new technology are extremely vulnerable to Cyber Attacks.
In a report released yesterday by the London based International Affairs Think Tank, it clearly mentions about the cyber threats faced by the world’s deadliest weapons. The report says that online enemies could sabotage the control systems and cause Britain or another nuclear-armed state to launch a strike on another country. And if this happens it could easily trigger ‘World War 3’ which can show dire consequences on the entire world.
Imagine, if a cyber army funded by a state hackers, interferes in the operations of Britain’s Trident Submarines, sabotaging them with the use of malware or viruses…?
Chatham House report on the vulnerability of nuclear weapons is based on the following theory. When the nuclear weapons were developed, the capabilities of computers were in their early stages and very little consideration was given to cyber vulnerabilities.
But now, with the widespread use of digital technology and its integration with nuclear weapons, the situation has changed on a complete note. As each new digital component gets embedded into the system, a possibility of a new cyber threat emerges.
So, the report calls for all countries holding nuclear weapons to incorporate cyber risks reduction measures in nuclear command, control and communications systems.
And if they chose to ignore, then rogue nations such as the one led by Kim Jong can take advantage of such cyber vulnerabilities within no time.
