Government agencies are no stranger to cyber attacks, and it turns out that America’s nuclear weapons are no different. According to National Nuclear Security Administration head Thomas D’Agostino, the agency has to deal with up to 10 million “significant cyber security events” daily. That’s a terrifying number, and D’Agostino admits that around a hundredth of a percent of those attacks experience success — which means that there are up to 1,000 successful attacks each day. Thankfully there are currently no known viruses or malware capable of actually launching a nuclear missile remotely. Instead, the current danger lies with other states hacking into the Department of Energy to uncover secrets on how to build nuclear weapons of their own. Because of the sheer number of attacks, the NNSA is looking to boost its cybersecurity budget to $155 million in 2013, up from $126 million this year.
US nuclear security deals with 10 million ‘significant’ online attacks each day
The head of the National Nuclear Security Administration says that the group faces up to 10 million “significant cyber security events” each day.
The head of the National Nuclear Security Administration says that the group faces up to 10 million “significant cyber security events” each day.
is an entertainment editor covering streaming, virtual worlds, and every single Pokémon video game. Andrew joined The Verge in 2012, writing over 4,000 stories.
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