Sam Nunn
Co-Founder and Co-Chair, NTI
Nuclear Weapons in the New Cyber Age
NTI’s new report, Nuclear Weapons in the New Cyber Age, addresses the study group’s chilling conclusion that a successful cyberattack on nuclear weapons or related systems—including nuclear planning systems, early warning systems, communication systems, and delivery systems, in addition to the nuclear weapons themselves—could have catastrophic consequences. The report assesses credible, real-world scenarios in which a cyberattack could lead to a nuclear launch as a result of false warnings or miscalculation, increase the risk of unauthorized use of a nuclear weapon, and undermine confidence in the nuclear deterrent, affecting strategic stability. The report also offers a series of high-level recommendations for mitigating these threats, but ultimately poses the question “In an age of cyberwarfare, has the nuclear deterrence strategy that helped guide the West and the Soviet Union through the Cold War become dangerously obsolete?”
Stay Informed
Sign up for our newsletter to get the latest on nuclear and biological threats.
Reducing Cyber Risks to Nuclear Weapons: Proposals from a U.S.-Russia Expert Dialogue
There is a critical need for a global diplomatic approach to address growing cyber risks, including, where possible, through cooperation between the United States and Russia.
The NTI Nuclear Security Index
The NTI Index is recognized as the premier resource and tool for evaluating global nuclear and radiological security.
The 2023 NTI Nuclear Security Index
“The bottom line is that the countries and areas with the greatest responsibility for protecting the world from a catastrophic act of nuclear terrorism are derelict in their duty,” the 2023 NTI Index reports.