Necessity of Nuclear Disarmament in Terms of Increasing Cyber Attacks and AI Technology

Abstract

Weapons-usable nuclear materials and other critical networks are not immune to cyberattacks. A strategic cyberattack could facilitate the theft of such in spite of layers of security, or cause a catastrophic act of sabotage, or compromise the command-and-control systems themselves. A sophisticated cyber-attack would be capable of creating the same events: disrupting power, disabling emergency generators, and cutting off access to the pumping station. That action would have had the exact same results as the natural disaster—a nuclear meltdown. The development and spread of cyber weapons, information-warfare capabilities and the dynamics of the "cyber age" present considerable challenges to decision makers, analysts and strategists.  There are many different challenges that nuclear-armed countries and nuclear systems have to face. These challenges can vary depending on the country in question and their system. Nonetheless, they all show a change in nuclear weapons and security, the management of relationships between these states, and how we regulate global order. Currently, there are a number of challenges for nuclear forces, including direct and indirect attacks. These trends have implications for arms control and the possibility of nuclear reductions in the future.