Security News > 2021 > June > Vulnerabilities in Weapons Systems

We need to face that reality by halting the purchase of insecure weapons and support systems and by incorporating the realities of offensive cyberattacks into our military planning.

Military computers, whether they're embedded inside weapons systems or on desktops managing the logistics of those weapons systems, are similarly vulnerable.

Although sensitive military systems rely on domestically manufactured chips as part of the Trusted Foundry program, many military systems contain the same foreign chips and code that commercial systems do: just like everyone around the world uses the same mobile phones, networking equipment, and computer operating systems.

The report observed that "In operational testing, the routinely found mission-critical cyber vulnerabilities in systems that were under development, yet program officials GAO met with believed their systems were secure and discounted some test results as unrealistic." It's a similar attitude to corporate executives who believe that they can't be hacked - and equally naive.

Militaries around the world are now exploiting these vulnerabilities in weapons systems to carry out operations.

Second, it's time to take cybersecurity seriously in military procurement, from weapons systems to logistics and communications contracts.

News URL

https://www.schneier.com/blog/archives/2021/06/vulnerabilities-in-weapons-systems.html