Date: Fri, 24 Jul 2009 09:48:03 +0100
From: stcloud@...hmail.com
To: full-disclosure@...ts.grok.org.uk
Subject: Hacking Nuclear Command and Control

1. Cyber Terrorism
Cyber terrorism is a disputed term, just as terrorism itself has no 
universally accepted
definition. Kevin G. Coleman of the Technolytics Institute defines 
cyber terrorism as
“the premeditated use of disruptive activities, or the threat 
thereof, against computers
and/or networks, with the intention to cause harm or further 
social, ideological,
religious, political or similar objectives. Or to intimidate any 
person in furtherance of
such objectives” (Cyber Operations and Cyber Terrorism 2005). This 
may include
using the internet to recruit terrorists, gather information, 
disrupt infrastructure, or
cause physical real-world harm, as they all lead to the ultimate 
goal of political
change through fear and violence. At its most basic, cyber 
terrorism is the use of
computer network operations to aid terrorism. Theoretical examples 
of cyber
terrorism include hacking into the air traffic control system in 
order to cause two
planes to collide, or causing severe financial loss by disrupting 
banks or the stock
market (Denning 1999).
It is difficult to establish an act of cyber terrorism from similar 
and overlapping
terminology. There are many individuals and groups who cause damage 
by using
computers illegally; however they are not all cyber terrorists. 
Hackers, or more
precisely blackhat hackers, exploit vulnerabilities in computer 
networks for fun,
profit, or bragging rights. They may steal sensitive data, or cause 
disruption, financial
loss, and real-world physical damage, yet they typically do not 
intend to cause
violence or severe social or economic harm. Hackers seem more 
interested in the
technical capability, as though it were a game. Hactivists are 
activists who enhance
their capabilities through computer skill. They may organise 
protests, deface
websites, or use any number of techniques designed to disseminate 
their message.
Cyber criminals are an extension of organised crime, and they are 
particularly
interested in profit, such as extortion or credit card fraud. State 
sponsored (military)
hackers, non-state sponsored political hackers, industrial 
espionage, and insiders also
fall into their own subsets of cyber crime. These classifications 
can alter quickly. A
cyber criminal or hacker could cross over into the realm of cyber 
terrorism by selling
their services to terrorists, just as a hacker could become 
classified as a cyber criminal
if they turn their focus to financial gain. The distinction between 
groups who use
computer network operations is not of primary concern to this 
paper. What is of
concern is whether or not these techniques could be used to 
compromise nuclear
command and control.
Modus Operandi
Terrorists have a history of using asymmetric warfare to compete 
against their more
powerful enemies. Computer network operations fit within this modus 
operandi. As
nuclear capable states become more and more dependant on 
interconnected
information technology for the military and civilian 
infrastructure, they become an
increasingly viable target. Cyber terrorism offers multiple 
asymmetric benefits. It is
relatively low cost, only requiring an off the shelf computer and 
an internet
connection. A wide range of pre-written, automated, hacking tools 
are readily
available on the internet and require little to learn. Cyber 
terrorism allows greater
anonymity than traditional terrorism, as tracking the source of 
attacks is hindered by
proxies, spoofed IP addresses, botnets, and legal hindrances. In 
terms of stealth,
cyber terrorism allows for the silent retrieval of information from 
a computer, or the
remote use of someone else’s computer to conduct activities. Cyber 
terrorists can
strike an enormous number of targets around the globe without 
having to be
physically present, thereby reducing the risk of death or injury to 
the attacker. This
enhances the speed of operations and eliminates the logistical 
problems of crossing
borders. Reducing the risk of death, and the physical or 
psychological demands,
makes it easier to recruit new members for their cause. Cyber 
terrorism has the
potential to cause damage beyond the scope of traditional tactics, 
and when used in
combination with traditional tactics, it can create synergy.
Enhancing Traditional Operations
In much the same way that the Information Revolution has enhanced 
the methods and
capabilities of individuals, industry, and government, it has also 
enhanced the
methods and capabilities of terrorism. Information gained on the 
internet can yield
maps of installations, bus schedules to and from those 
installations, operating hours,
photographs, telephone/e-mail directories, and so on. Much of this 
may be considered
non-sensitive information on its own, but when pieced together it 
can reveal a picture
which may have been deemed classified. A simple Google search can 
reveal valuable
information such as lock picking, hacking software, bomb 
construction, or fake
identification, all of which may play a role in the goal of 
acquiring a nuclear weapon.
The internet’s ability to identify specific groups based on 
ethnicity, belief, or
affiliation has enhanced the ability to recruit and target. This 
can be used to identify
individuals who may possess pertinent knowledge, such as nuclear 
scientists or
military personnel, who can be targeted with spoofed e-mails 
containing malicious
code. In terms of recruitment, many terrorist organisations operate 
their own
websites, complete with propaganda, donation collection, and 
information on how to
join their cause. Examples include Hamas, Hezbollah, and FARC. 
Sunni insurgents
in Iraq have used the internet to post articles and video which 
undermine coalition
forces by glorifying terrorism, demonizing the coalition, and 
promoting their
interpretation of events (Carfano 2008). Due to the global nature 
of the internet,
authorities have difficulty in shutting down these sites as the web 
host may be located
in foreign states with varying laws, and alternative hosts can be 
set relatively easily if
one is shut down. This allows them to reach a worldwide audience.
Terrorists can use the internet as a covert means of communication. 
Even the most
basic chat programs provide a level of anonymity. Additionally, 
encryption may be
used all the way down to planting messages within the code of jpeg 
(image) files
posted on image boards and comment threads. Telephone conversations 
routed
through computers may also be encrypted. Some of the 9/11 hijackers 
booked their
airline reservations online and used internet-based telephone 
services and chat
software in the build up to the attack (Wilson 2003). Using the 
internet for
communications circumvents many government controls, and allows 
easy access,
high speed, and low cost. Online psychological warfare and the 
spreading of
disinformation can instil fear, deliver threats, and destroy 
morale, such as the video
release of captured soldiers, beheadings, and crashed helicopters 
posted on terrorist
websites, which subsequently reach mass media. Recruitment, 
research, fund raising,
propaganda, and communication have always been a part of terrorist 
activities, but
they have been enhanced with the advent of the internet.
Hacker Skills
In order to see how hackers could penetrate nuclear command and 
control, it is
important to examine some of the basic tactics of hacking. 
Payloads, such as viruses,
worms, and Trojan horses, can infect a computer simply by getting a 
user to click on a
link, open an e-mail attachment such as a pdf file, or run an 
executable program.
Spoofing, or making something appear to be something it is not, is 
often used to
accomplish this. Once one or several of these payloads are 
installed, they can spread
to other computers; log all keystrokes, gaining passwords and 
usernames; download
all of the contents on the hard drive; delete or re-write files; 
activate the microphone
or webcam, sending that information back to the attacker; or shut 
down and possibly
destroy the computer. Essentially a hacker can gain complete 
control of a computer
from a remote location without the owner’s knowledge. These 
exploits may also
cause the computer to become a part of a botnet. Botnets are large 
numbers of
computers (zombies) under illicit control which are banded 
together. These may be
used in coordination to cause Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS) 
attacks. DDoS
attacks are capable of shutting down web sites or portions of a 
network by flooding
the server with data requests. These massive floods of data 
requests can cause buffer
overflow, and jam the server, rendering it unusable. An exercise 
conducted by the US
National Security Agency (NSA), named Eligible Receiver, showed 
that much of the
private sector infrastructure in the US could be hacked, including 
telecommunications
and electronic grids. Hackers working in this exercise were also 
able to penetrate
dozens of critical Pentagon computer systems and the US Pacific 
military’s command
and control system, were they could reformat hard drives, alter 
data, or shut systems
down (Weimann 2004, Wilson 2003).
SCADA Systems
Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition (SCADA) systems are 
computer systems
used for critical infrastructure such as energy grids, water 
management, waste
treatment, transportation systems, emergency services, and 
communications. These
systems “automatically monitor and adjust switching, manufacturing, 
and other
process control activities, based on feedback data gathered by 
sensors” (Wilson
2003). These systems were intended to remain separate from the 
internet; however as
organisations grew, and so did the internet, it became more cost 
effective to tie them
together. In particular, with deregulation it became more important 
for offsite
maintenance and information sharing. This makes them a valuable 
target for
terrorists. In 2001, an “individual used the internet, a wireless 
radio, and stolen
control software to release up to 1 million litres of sewage into 
the river and coastal
waters of Queensland, Australia. The individual had attempted to 
access the system
44 times, prior to being successful in his 45th attempt, without 
being detected” (Cyber
Operations and Cyber Terrorism 2005). Other examples of cyber 
attacks which have
been conducted against these types of key infrastructure include: 
the disruption of
emergency response by embedding malicious code into e-mail; 
disrupting air traffic
control, including the ability to activate runway lights on 
approach; using a worm to
corrupt the computer control systems of a nuclear power plant in 
Ohio; using a Trojan
horse to gain control of gas pipelines; and using a worm to degrade 
utility companies
and the power grid (Cyber Operations and Cyber Terrorism 2005, 
Lourdeau 2004,
Wilson 2008, Denning 2000, Wilson 2003, and Poulsen 2004).
Is the threat real?
As of May 2009, no major cyber terror event has occurred. Policy 
makers, media
organisations, and security companies often use the threat of cyber 
terrorism to further
their own agendas. The entertainment industry has also capitalized 
on cyber fears,
creating exaggerated and over simplistic scenarios, such as the 
films War Games and
Die Hard 4. Additionally, the media often reports cyber criminals, 
hackers, statesponsored
hackers, and hacktivists all under the heading of cyber terrorists. 
Sensitive
government, military, and intelligence information tend to be 
maintained on closed
networks, networks separated from the broader internet. While these 
systems may be
compromised, they are far from simple. Governments are aware of the 
cyber threat,
and have been taking steps to increase personnel screening, 
inspections, inter-agency
communication, emergency response, scrutiny of sensitive hi-tech 
foreign parts
production, and overall computer network defence.
SCADA systems may be more robust than some reports have indicated. 
These
systems are designed to be distributed, diverse, redundant, and 
self-healing, in part
because weather systems and natural disasters pose a continual 
threat of disruption. A
cyber attack against SCADA systems may require a sustained assault 
against multiple
targets to have a significant effect. Additionally, humans remain 
in the loop. For
example, reports that a terrorist could change the levels of iron 
in children’s breakfast
cereal to toxic levels, neglects to account for the manual checks 
of assembly line
workers, or the accounting procedures for the amount of iron in 
stock (Denning
1999). Al Qaeda computers recovered in Afghanistan revealed 
information on water
systems and nuclear power plants. However this was more relevant to 
reconnaissance
in support of a traditional physical attack. The degree to which 
these systems could
cause massive disruption or death is debatable, as traditional 
explosives remain a
more potent tool for that task. It may take years to prepare an 
attack against advanced
networks, including the identification of exploits, development of 
tools, and the
implementation of a plan, yet technology is rapidly advancing and 
networks
continually updating, possibly disrupting those plans. Terrorist 
organisations may not
be able to keep up with the massive financial backing of nation 
states. Statesponsored
hackers have this problem themselves (Wilson 2003).
Despite the possibility of exaggerated claims, a threat remains. 
Computer network
operations do pose an asymmetric weakness, one which terrorist 
could use to further
their agenda, and one which fits within their doctrine. Just as the 
9/11 attacks were an
unprecedented attack with unconventional weapons, so too could a 
major cyber
attack. Multiple cyber attacks on infrastructure have been 
documented, as mentioned
in the SCADA Systems section above. A successful cyber attack 
requires finding
only one vulnerability, whereas a successful cyber defence requires 
finding all
possible vulnerabilities. As younger, more computer savvy, 
individuals are recruited
into the ranks of terrorists, they may begin to recognise its 
potential. Just as the
reliance on the internet is rapidly growing, so too are the weapons 
capable of
damaging it. The 2005 Cyber Operations and Cyber Terrorism Handbook 
No. 1.02,
notes:
The Melissa virus that infected networks in 1999 took weeks to have 
an effect.
However, the Code Red worm that infected the internet in July 2001 
took only
hours to flood the airways, while the Slammer worm that appeared in 
January
2003 took only minutes to infect thousands of hosts throughout the 
world. To
further demonstrate the complexity of attacks, it took Code Red 37 
minutes to
double in size, but only took Slammer 8.5 seconds to do the same.
While government and corporate organisations have begun to publicly 
recognise the
need for a strong cyber defence, it is uncertain to what degree 
they have taken action.
Progress in developing the tools to track cyber terrorists runs 
into conflict with
citizen’s right to privacy—terrorists do not have such legal or 
social hindrances.
Further, potential targets are not unified. For example, the 
financial sector, the
commercial sector, home users, universities, and government 
networks are all
attractive targets for terrorists, yet there is no coordination 
between these groups.
Corporations and home users may not find stringent security 
measures to be worth the
cost. In the event of an attack, there would also be considerable 
confusion as to the
coordination of a relief effort (Carfano 2008, Lewis 2002).
Outsourcing
Cyber terrorists may not need sophisticated hacking skills 
themselves, they may be
able to purchase them for cyber criminals. Insiders, such as Vitek 
Boden, who
released sewage into the Australian waterways, could be identified 
through traditional
cyber activities (Smith 2001). In 2000, Japan’s Metropolitan Police 
Department
reported that they had obtained an illicit software program that 
could track police
vehicles. The program was developed by The Aum Shinryko cult, the 
group
responsible for the 1995 sarin gas attacks on the Tokyo subway 
system. Additionally,
the cult had developed software for 80 Japanese firms and 10 
government agencies,
leading to concerns that they had installed Trojan horses to launch 
or facilitate cyber
terrorist attacks at a later date. (Cyber Operations and Cyber 
Terrorism 2005,
Weimann 2004, Denning 2000). Insiders can use flash drives, such as 
thumb drives,
portable gaming devices, mobile phones, or mp3 players, for the 
clandestine and rapid
downloading of information, or the rapid uploading of a malicious 
payload used to aid
in future attack.
Botnets can be rented from cyber criminals, known as botherders, 
for as little US$200
to $300 per hour. And the nature of botnets, being composed of 
hundreds or
thousands of computers around the globe, makes the source difficult 
to track. The
number of zombie computers in the world grew by 12 million in the 
first 4 months of
2009 alone (Zetter 2009). Identity theft can also be purchased 
online, including
valuable items for terrorism, such as stolen credit card numbers, 
driver’s licences,
birth certificates, reference letters, and bank accounts. The 
Provisional Irish
Republican Army hired hackers to acquire the personal information 
of law
enforcement and intelligence officers, which they intended to use 
in assassination
plans if the British government did not meet their terms for a 
cease fire (Denning
2000). Evidence of a link between cyber criminals and terrorists is 
continuing to
grow. For example, three British citizens used stolen credit card 
data to purchase
night vision goggles, tents, GPS devices, prepaid mobile phones, 
and airline tickets to
“assist fellow jihadists in the field” (Wilson 2008). In 1998, 
Khalid Ibrahim, a
member of the militant separatist group Harkat-ul-Ansar, attempted 
to buy military
software from hackers who had penetrated the US Department of 
Defense, and in
2008, it was revealed that a principal software engineer for Yahoo 
India was also the
head of internet operations for the Indian Mujahedeen (Rahman 2008, 
Denning 1999).
2. Nuclear Command and Control
In order to see how cyber terrorists could detonate a nuclear 
weapon it is important to
identify the structures which they would be attempting to 
penetrate. Nuclear
command and control (NC2), sometimes referred to as nuclear command 
and control
and communications (NC3) includes the personnel, equipment, 
communications,
facilities, organisation, procedures, and chain of command involved 
with maintaining
a nuclear weapon capability. A Command and Control Centre is 
typically a secure
room, bunker, or building in a government or military facility that 
operates as the
agency's dispatch centre, surveillance monitoring centre, 
coordination office and
alarm monitoring centre all in one. A state may have multiple 
command and control
centres within the government and military branches which can act 
independently or,
more commonly, be used in the event a higher node is incapable of 
performing its
function. A minimum of eight states possess a nuclear arsenal, 
providing eight
varying nuclear command and control structures for cyber terrorist 
to target. The
eight states which possess nuclear weapons are, in order of 
acquisition, the US, Russia
(former Soviet Union), the UK, France, China, India, Pakistan, and 
North Korea.
South Africa formerly possessed nuclear weapons, but has since 
dismantled its
arsenal. Israel is also widely believed to have nuclear weapons, 
but has not officially
confirmed their status as a nuclear state. There are approximately 
20,000 active
nuclear weapons in the world. The vast majority of these belong to 
the US and
Russia, stemming from the Cold War.
Nuclear command and control has inherent weaknesses in relation to 
cyber warfare.
The concept of mutually assured destruction means a state must have 
the capability to
launch nuclear weapons in the event of a decapitating strike. This 
requires having
nuclear weapons spread out in multiple locations (mobility and 
redundancy), so an
enemy could not destroy all of their capabilities. Examples of this 
include land based
mobile launch platforms and submarine-launched ballistic missiles 
(SLBM). This
provides terrorists with multiple locations for attaining access to 
these weapons.
Further, under NATO nuclear weapons sharing, the US has supplied 
nuclear weapons
to Belgium, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, and Turkey for storage 
and possible
deployment. This further increases the number of access points for 
terrorists,
allowing them to assess not only installations and procedures, but 
also which borders
and state specific laws may be easier to circumvent. The weapons 
themselves may all
be under the complete control of the US, but the operational plans 
of terrorists may
include items such as reconnaissance, social engineering, and 
crossing borders which
remain unique between states. The potential collapse of a state 
also presents a
challenge. Following the collapse of the Soviet Union, Belarus, 
Kazakhstan, and
Ukraine were in possession of nuclear weapons. These have since 
been transferred to
Russia, but there was, and still is, considerable concern over the 
security and integrity
of those weapons, especially in the face of a destabilized 
government and civilian
hardship. Mutually assured destruction also promotes a hair trigger 
launch posture
and the need for launch orders to be decided on quickly. The advent 
of SLBMs
increased this high pressure tension, as the ability of a submarine 
to sneak up close to
a state’s border before launch significantly reduced response time. 
These short
decision times make it easier for terrorists to provoke a launch as 
little time, and little
discussion, is given to assess a situation in full. The desire to 
reduce the time it takes
to disseminate plans to nuclear forces may expand the use of 
computers in nuclear
command and control, or lead to the introduction of fail-deadly and 
autonomous
systems.
This chapter is by no means comprehensive, However it sheds some 
light on the
operations of nuclear command and control and the difficulties in 
defending those
systems from cyber terrorism. Many of the details of nuclear 
command and control
are classified, so the information provided below may be outdated. 
However it points
towards a pattern, and there is no certainty these systems and 
procedures have been
updated since entering open source knowledge. Further, terrorists 
do not have to
restrict themselves to unclassified data, and therefore may be able 
to obtain up to date
information.
The United States
The US employs a nuclear deterrence triad consisted of nuclear-
capable long range
bombers, SLBMs, and land based intercontinental ballistic missiles 
(ICBMs), as well
as an arsenal of nonstrategic (tactical) nuclear weapons. US 
nuclear command and
control covers a geographically dispersed force with the US 
President, as Commander
in Chief, being the highest authority in the decision to make a 
nuclear launch. There
is a hierarchy of succession in the event the President cannot 
perform this duty, such
as if the President were killed in an attack. Additionally, once 
the order to launch is
given, it travels down a chain of command; the President does not 
press the button, so
to speak, nor is the President physically present at the launch 
location. These
locations would be targets in a nuclear war, so it is imperative 
that the leader not be
there. Additionally, multiple independent launch locations make 
this impossible
(except for cases in which multiple missiles are tied together in a 
Single Integrated
Operational Plan). So it is theoretically possible to subvert this 
control by falsifying
the order at any number of locations down that chain of command. 
The infrastructure
that supports the President in his decision to launch nuclear 
weapons is the Nuclear
Command and Control System (NCCS). “The NCCS must support situation
monitoring, tactical warning and attack assessment of missile 
launches, senior leader
decision making, dissemination of Presidential force-direction 
orders, and
management of geographically dispersed forces” (Critchlow 2006).
Key US nuclear command centres include fixed locations, such as the 
National
Military Command Center (NMCC) and the Raven Rock Mountain Complex 
(Site R),
and mobile platforms, such as the E-4B National Airborne Operations 
Center
(NAOC) and the Mobile Consolidated Command Center (MCCC). The US 
seeks to
integrate its nuclear forces into its vision of command, control, 
computers,
communications, intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance 
(C4ISR) hinting
towards a greater reliance on computer technology in maintaining 
and upgrading its
nuclear force, not only to combat against Cold War style nuclear 
war, but also against
perceived emerging threats from China, Iran and North Korea. In 
particular the US
recognises these states’ potential to use nuclear weapons detonated 
at high altitude to
create an electromagnetic pulse (EMP). The threat of EMP was known 
during the
Cold War, and a considerable amount of attention has been paid to 
hardening nuclear
systems (Critchlow 2006).
The Minimum Essential Emergency Communications Network (MEECN) 
links to the
ICBMs, bombers, and submarine forces. Information widely available 
on the internet
shows the US is seeking to upgrade the MEECN’s satellite 
communications capability
through Advanced Extremely High Frequency and the Transformational
Communications Satellite programs. Cyber terrorists may use this 
knowledge to
research these new forms, or to expose weaknesses in the old system 
before upgrades
are completed. Early warning systems and communications are 
essential to assessing
whether a nuclear launch has been made and communicating the orders 
to launch a
retaliatory strike. Falsifying the data provided by either of these 
systems would be of
prime interest to terrorists. Commands emanating from the NAOC for 
example,
include Extremely High Frequency and Very Low Frequency/Low 
Frequency links,
and its activation during a traditional terrorist attack, as 
happened on 9/11, could
provide additional clues as to its vulnerabilities. Blogging 
communities have also
revealed that the 9/11 terrorist attacks revealed insights into the 
US continuity of
operations plan as high level officials were noted heading to 
specific installations
(Critchlow 2006).
One tool designed by the US for initiating a nuclear launch is the 
‘nuclear football’. It
is a specially outfitted briefcase which can be used by the 
President to authorize a
nuclear strike when away from fixed command centres. The President 
is
accompanied by an aide carrying the nuclear football at all times. 
This aide, who is
armed and possibly physically attached to the football, is part of 
a rotating crew of
Presidential aides (one from each of the five service branches). 
The football contains
a secure satellite communication link and any other material the 
President may need
to refer to in the event of its use, sometimes referred to as the 
‘playbook’. The attack
options provided in the football include single ICBM launches and 
large scale predetermined
scenarios as part of the Single Integrated Operational Plan. Before
initiating a launch the President must be positively identified 
using a special code on a
plastic card, sometimes referred to as ‘the gold codes’ or ‘the 
biscuit’. The order must
also be approved by a second member of the government as per the 
two-man rule
(Pike 2006).
In terms of detecting and analysing a potential attack, that is, 
distinguishing a missile
attack from the launch of a satellite or a computer glitch, the US 
employs dual
phenomenology. This means two different systems must be used to 
confirm an
attack, such as radar and satellite. Terrorists trying to engage a 
launch by falsifying
this data would need to determine which two systems were being used 
in coordination
at the target location and spoof both systems. Attempting to 
falsify commands from
the President would also be difficult. Even if the chain of command 
is identified,
there are multiple checks and balances. For example, doctrine 
recommends that the
President confer with senior commanders. The Chairman of the Joint 
Chiefs of Staff
is the primary military advisor to the President. However, the 
President may choose to
consult other advisors as well. Trying to identify who would be 
consulted in this
system is difficult, and falsification may be exposed at any number 
of steps. The
2006 Quadrennial Defense Review emphasizes that new systems of 
command and
control must be survivable in the event of cyber warfare attacks. 
On the one hand,
this shows that the US is aware of the potential danger posed by 
computer network
operations and are taking action to prevent it. On the other hand, 
this shows that they
themselves see computer network operations as a weakness in their 
system. And the
US continues to research new ways to integrate computer systems 
into their nuclear
command and control, such as IP-based communications, which they 
admit, “has not
yet been proven to provide the high degree of assurance of rapid 
message
transmission needed for nuclear command and control” (Critchlow 
2006).
The US nuclear arsenal remains designed for the Cold War. This 
means its
paramount feature is to survive a decapitating strike. In order to 
do so it must
maintain hair-trigger posture on early warning and decision-making 
for approximately
one-third of its 10,000 nuclear weapons. According to Bruce G. 
Blair, President of
the Center for Defense Information, and a former Minuteman launch 
officer:
Warning crews in Cheyenne Mountain, Colo., are allowed only three 
minutes to
judge whether initial attack indications from satellite and ground 
sensors are valid or
false. Judgments of this sort are rendered daily, as a result of 
events as diverse as
missiles being tested, or fired — for example, Russia’s firing of 
Scud missiles into
Chechnya — peaceful satellites being lofted into space, or 
wildfires and solar
reflections off oceans and clouds. If an incoming missile strike is 
anticipated, the
president and his top nuclear advisors would quickly convene an 
emergency
telephone conference to hear urgent briefings. For example, the war 
room commander
in Omaha would brief the president on his retaliatory options and 
their consequences,
a briefing that is limited to 30 seconds. All of the large-scale 
responses comprising
that briefing are designed for destroying Russian targets by the 
thousands, and the
president would have only a few minutes to pick one if he wished to 
ensure its
effective implementation. The order would then be sent immediately 
to the
underground and undersea launch crews, whose own mindless firing 
drill would last
only a few minutes (Blair 2003).
These rapid response times don’t leave room for error. Cyber 
terrorists would not
need deception that could stand up over time; they would only need 
to be believable
for the first 15 minutes or so. The amount of firepower that could 
be unleashed in
these 15 minutes, combined with the equally swift Russian response, 
would be
equivalent to approximately 100,000 Hiroshima bombs (Blair 2008).
Russia
Russia maintains the world’s largest nuclear stockpile with 
approximately 10,000
nuclear weapons. The authority to launch can be obtained within 10 
minutes from the
President, the Defense Minister, or the Chief of the General Staff. 
The unlock and
launch authorization codes can be sent directly to individual 
weapons commanders
who would execute the launch procedures, or the General Staff could 
direct missile
launches directly from multiple command centres. Russia maintains a 
significant
satellite network and radar for early warning and identification of 
an incoming nuclear
strike. However, this system is not as robust as it was during the 
Cold War. Since the
collapse of the Soviet Union, some command system and 
communications networks
have become past due for overhaul and modernization (Aftergood 
2000). Similarly,
many analysts have expressed concern over the safety, security, and 
control of
Russia’s nuclear arsenal, especially the integrity of the 
facilities where nuclear
weapons were stored. The US provided assistance and aid under the 
Nunn–Lugar
Cooperative Threat Reduction Program. This included the 
installation of fencing,
monitors, alarms, and comprehensive accounting systems to keep 
track of materials.
These concerns have somewhat eased as Russia’s economy has regained 
strength.
However, it shows the risk involved should any nuclear state suffer 
collapse (Woolf
2002).
Similar to the US football, Russia employs a nuclear briefcase 
known as Cheget. It
accompanies the President at all times and provides secure 
communication and
authorization codes for the order to launch a nuclear strike. It is 
connected to Kavkaz,
a communications network for senior government officials, which is 
in turn connected
to the broader nuclear command and control communication network 
Kazbek. Some
reports state that the Minister of Defence and the Chief of the 
General Staff are also
issued nuclear briefcases. Mikhail Gorbachev was separated from 
Cheget during an
attempted coup in August of 1991. However, reports state that the 
two remaining
nuclear briefcases were deactivated once Gorbachev’s had 
disappeared. Had
Gorbachev died or been removed from power, a backup Cheget would 
have been
assigned to the Vice President. However, the General Staff would 
still wield power in
the ultimate decision to launch. Control of Cheget has become a 
symbol of pride,
strength, and authority (Tsypkin 2004).
Despite claims that the order for a nuclear launch can only come 
from the leader of a
state, there are examples which show this decision can rest on 
personnel who are far
from the top of the chain of command. In 1983, Soviet Air Defence 
Forces lieutenant
colonel Stanislav Yevgrafovich Petrov deviated from doctrine when 
he positively
identified an incoming missile attack as a false alarm. According 
to procedure, he
should have sent the alert for an incoming attack, which would have 
set off the highpressure
race to decide on a response, but instead he took it upon himself 
to dismiss
what he saw, believing a US first-strike nuclear attack would 
involve hundreds of
missiles rather than one. This may have prevented an accidental 
retaliatory nuclear
attack on the United States. Another example occurred during the 
Cuban Missile
Crisis. A group of US Navy destroyers and an aircraft carrier had 
trapped a nucleararmed
submarine near Cuba and started dropping practice depth charges. 
Allegedly,
the captain of the submarine, Valentin Grigorievitch Savitsky, 
believing that a war
might already have started, prepared to launch a retaliatory 
nuclear torpedo. Three
officers were authorized to launch the torpedo if they agreed 
unanimously in favour of
doing so. An argument broke out among the three, in which only 
Vasili
Alexandrovich Arkhipov was against the launch, eventually 
persuading Savitsky to
surface the submarine and await orders from Moscow (Philips 1998).
The United Kingdom
The UK retains a weapons stockpile of around 200 operational 
nuclear warheads.
Trident ballistic missiles aboard four Vanguard class nuclear-
powered submarines are
currently the UK’s only nuclear deterrent system. The UK has 
maintained significant
support from the US under the Mutual Defence Agreement. The UK 
relies on US
owned and controlled Ballistic Missile Early Warning System (BMEWS) 
and Defense
Support Program (DSP) satellites for warning of a nuclear attack. 
The UK permits
the US to deploy nuclear weapons from its territory, possibly 
including tactical
nuclear weapons. Information about the suspected location of these 
bombs can be
found online, possibly providing terrorists with insight into 
vulnerabilities. The UK
has not employed the US Permissive Action Link (PAL) system, 
Trident CCDs, or
their equivalent in order to lock out unauthorized activation. This 
decision was made
so that a retaliatory strike could still be launched in the event 
that the British chain of
command was destroyed before a launch order could be sent.
The decision to launch nuclear weapons rests with the Prime 
Minister. Declassified
reports on the Polaris system, the predecessor of the Trident 
system, indicate a closed
circuit TV system was set up between 10 Downing St and the Polaris 
Control Officer
at the Northwood headquarters of the Royal Navy. If the link 
failed, an authentication
code could be sent and verified at the headquarters. The Commander 
in Chief would
then broadcast a firing order to the Polaris submarines via the 
Very Low Frequency
radio station at Rugby. The Prime Minister’s decision can be vetoed 
by the Chief of
Defence Staff and the Queen (or Monarch). Once a launch order is 
sent, only the
submarine captain can access the firing trigger, and only after two 
safes have been
opened with keys held by the ship’s executive and weapons 
engineering officers. If a
captain believes the UK’s chain of command has been destroyed, a 
determination of
which rests on multiple verifications, such as establishing that 
BBC Radio 4 remains
broadcasting, then a captain opens a hand-written order prepared in 
advance by the
Prime Minister. The content of the notes of last resort are at the 
discretion of the
current Prime Minister and seen by their eyes only. These may order 
a retaliatory
strike, leave it up to the captain’s discretion, order the captain 
to place himself under
the command of Her Majesty's Government of Australia, or 
alternatively of the
President of the United States, or any number of possibilities 
(Cheng 2006, Plesch
2006).
France
France maintains a dual delivery system with submarine-launched 
ballistic missiles
and medium-range air-to-surface missiles. The French military is 
currently thought to
retain a weapons stockpile of around 350 operational nuclear 
warheads, making it the
third-largest in the world. In January 2006, President Jacques 
Chirac stated a terrorist
act or the use of weapons of mass destruction against France would 
result in a nuclear
counterattack (France would use nuclear arms 2006). The French have 
two rotating
crews for each of their missile boats, which they call Rouge (red) 
and Bleu (blue).
French policy has been to maintain three SSBNs ready at all times, 
with two at sea on
patrol. Each SSBN carries several predetermined target dossiers on 
magnetic disks.
The entire complement of 16 M-4 missiles can be fired in three to 
four minutes. In
addition to missile submarines and ground-based strike aircraft, 
the French retain a
nuclear capability based on their two aircraft carriers (Flaherty 
2002).
China
China possesses nuclear triad capability and currently maintains a 
nuclear stockpile of
approximately 200 warheads. China’s perceived primary threat is 
from the US, in
particular in relation to the status of Taiwan. China maintains 
retaliatory strike
capability with a widely dispersed, redundant, and mobile arsenal, 
as well as
hardening, bunkers, and tunnels capable of maintaining continuance 
of governance in
the event of nuclear war. China uses the same missiles to launch 
nuclear weapons as
they use to launch conventional weapons. Further, they place these 
alongside each
other in firing units of the Second Artillery Corps. This increases 
the risk of
mistaking a traditional launch for being a nuclear launch. China 
has also invested
heavily in cyber warfare, with several military publications 
postulating that it could be
used to disable US early warning sensors. Putting these together, 
terrorists could
route a cyber attack through China against a US carrier group while 
simultaneously
launching a conventional missile attack, in the hope that the US 
would respond as if it
were under nuclear attack.
The Second Artillery Corp is responsible for securing communication 
with firing
units. Direct orders to launch come from the Central Military 
Commission. Chinese
forces use increasing stages of readiness corresponding to nuclear 
threat assessment.
Despite a no-first-use policy, some analysts believe China’s 
ambiguous doctrine could
warrant the use of a pre-emptive nuclear strike. The order to 
launch goes from the
commander in chief, to the command organizations of the military 
departments, to the
missile bases, to the firing units. In this regard it is concerning 
to consider the
reputation of Chinese commanders who have frequently subverted 
national level
orders in favour of regional preferences. Unless safeguards are in 
place to prevent
this, the chain of command could be compromised. China has stated 
that it prefers
human confirmation for launch orders rather than relying on 
technology. However
these same reports emphasize the need for speed and encryption 
which lend
themselves to a reliance on technology (Wortzel 2007, Kristensen, 
Norris, and
McKinzie 2006).
India
As of September 2005, India was estimated to have had a stockpile 
of around
100–140 warheads. It is estimated that India currently possesses 
enough separated
plutonium to produce and maintain an arsenal of 1,000–2,000 
warheads. India’s
primary nuclear delivery system is by aircraft. However they also 
posses a strong
missile capability, and they are rapidly advancing naval surface 
and submarine launch
capability to complete their nuclear triad. India’s space program, 
which has advanced
India’s missile capability, is also advancing their threat 
assessment and early warning
systems.
India’s nuclear strategy and posture must ensure a massive 
retaliatory punitive strike
which would inflict unacceptable punishment. In the context of 
giving up the first
strike option, this means that the command and control must be able 
to survive and
continue functioning after absorbing a first (attempted 
decapitation) strike. To do so
requires mobility, redundancy, dispersal, dummy warheads, frequent 
moves and
relocation of these assets, and the ability to operate from a 
myriad of locations. All of
these yield greater risk of a weapon being captured or misplaced. 
For example,
falsifying the orders for transport and passing it off as a dummy 
warhead. The
capability to be able to launch a nuclear retaliatory strike within 
a very short time also
increases the risk of decisions being made on poor intelligence. 
Given that India’s
primary perceived threat is its nuclear neighbour, Pakistan, and 
the volatile
relationship between the two makes the situation more concerning. 
The close
proximity of these states significantly reduces the transit time of 
an incoming missile,
making the rush to react even greater. Further, India’s delivery 
systems can carry
both nuclear and conventional warheads. Under heightened 
circumstances, a
traditional missile launch could be mistaken for a nuclear strike. 
Terrorists may find
it easier to launch a traditional missile in hopes of provoking a 
nuclear response.
Online PSYOPS could enhance this ruse. Additionally, India has 
stated that it will
retain the option of using nuclear weapons in response to 
biological or chemical
attacks, thus providing another way for terrorists to provoke a 
nuclear response
(Norris and Kristensen 2005, Boyd 2003).
The Nuclear Command Authority (NCA) of India is the nodal agency 
for all
command, control and operational decisions regarding India's 
nuclear weapon
stockpile. The Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS) is composed of 
the Political
Council and the Executive Council of the NCA. The Executive 
Council, chaired by
the National Security Advisor (NSA), gives the inputs to the 
Political Council, which
can authorise a nuclear attack when deemed necessary. The Political 
Council is
chaired by the Prime Minister, and advised by the Executive 
Council, chaired by the
NSA. Their directives are to be operationalised by a new Strategic 
Forces Command
under the control of a Commander-in-Chief of the rank of Air 
Marshal (or its
equivalent) in charge of the management and administration of the 
tactical and
strategic nuclear forces. India uses various stages of readiness. 
During peacetime
nuclear cores are kept in secure and concealed storage facilities 
managed by the
Atomic Energy Commission. If the army goes on full alert, then some 
of the nuclear
cores are mated to the warhead and strike plans are reviewed. As 
the alert levels
increase, the warhead is mated to the missile and the army begins 
to lay out
operational plans for moving it into launch positions. In the final 
stages, missiles may
be moved to launch positions, targets are decided upon and a launch 
clearance is
awaited for the encrypted code that would give the order from the 
Prime Minister to
fire. India also maintains arrangements for alternate chains of 
command in the event
a critical decision maker is incapacitated (Squassoni 2005).
Pakistan
Pakistan has approximately 30 to 50 nuclear weapons, with its prime 
intent at
deterring aggression from India. These can be delivered by F-16s 
and short and long
range ballistic missiles. Pakistan has rejected the doctrine of no-
first-use. This would
suggest Pakistan may at times store nuclear weapons mated with 
missiles and ready
for launch. The US has provided assistance and aid to improve 
safeguarding of
Pakistan’s nuclear arsenal. This included helicopters, night vision 
goggles, and
nuclear detection equipment, as well as electronic sensors, closed 
circuit TV cameras,
fencing, and electronic sensors at nuclear facilities. Since 2004, 
Pakistan has
employed the US PAL system for securing its nuclear arsenal. (Berry 
2008)
Pakistan’s nuclear arsenal is overseen by the National Command 
Authority (NCA)
headed by the President and with the Prime Minister as its vice 
chairman. Key cabinet
ministers and the heads of the army, navy and air force are also 
members of the NCA,
which controls all aspects of the country's nuclear program, 
including deployment
and, if ever necessary, the use of the weapons. However, the 
military manages and
controls the nuclear weapons on behalf of the NCA. While all 
decision-making on
nuclear issues rests with the NCA, an affiliated body, the 
Strategic Plans Division,
manages and controls the nuclear weapons on behalf of the NCA. 
Transfers of power,
multiple acts of terrorism, coups, increased Islamic fundamentalist 
unrest,
assassination attempts on Prime Ministers and the assassination of 
Benazir Bhutto
raise concerns over the security of nuclear weapons in such a 
volatile environment.
Pakistan’s nuclear command and control may also be lacking in 
advanced early
warning/threat assessment, secure communications channels, and 
rigorous screening
of nuclear personnel (Jones 2000). Despite the uneasy relationship 
between Pakistan
and India, there are a number of communication channels that have 
been established,
including hotlines between army commanders and prime ministers, and 
agreements to
provide prior notification of troop movements and ballistic missile 
tests (Haider
2008).
North Korea
Little is known about North Korea’s nuclear command and control in 
open source
material. Presumably the order to launch a nuclear weapon would 
come directly from
Chairman of the National Defense Commission, Kim Jong-il. The 
primary delivery
method would be via missile, and major targets would be South 
Korea, Japan, and the
US military presence in the region. Sale of these weapons to 
terrorist operations is a
primary concern. North Korea has demonstrated opportunistic and 
erratic tendencies
in the face of strong international criticism. Allegations of state-
sponsored drug
smuggling, money laundering, and wide-scale counterfeiting, further 
this notion. The
unpredictable nature of North Korea could provide cover for a 
spoofed nuclear launch
by cyber terrorists. Some politicians in Japan have expressed a 
desire to change
Article 9 of the Japanese Constitution, at least in part, 
influenced by the threat posed
by a nuclear North Korea. In the event of government collapse, 
concerns over the
security of these weapons would be magnified (Samore and Schmemann 
2006).
3. Paths of Destruction
Having explored how cyber terrorists can operate and the how the 
nuclear command
and control systems are organised, how might a cyber terrorist 
penetrate these
systems? Four main pathways exist for cyber terrorist to detonate a 
nuclear weapon:
direct control of a launch, provoking a nuclear state to launch a 
nuclear strike on its
own, obtaining a nuclear weapon from a nuclear state, or acquiring 
the means to build
a nuclear or dirty bomb themselves.
Direct control of launch
The US uses the two-man rule to achieve a higher level of security 
in nuclear affairs.
Under this rule two authorized personnel must be present and in 
agreement during
critical stages of nuclear command and control. The President must 
jointly issue a
launch order with the Secretary of Defense; Minuteman missile 
operators must agree
that the launch order is valid; and on a submarine, both the 
commanding officer and
executive officer must agree that the order to launch is valid. In 
the US, in order to
execute a nuclear launch, an Emergency Action Message (EAM) is 
needed. This is a
preformatted message that directs nuclear forces to execute a 
specific attack. The
contents of an EAM change daily and consist of a complex code read 
by a human
voice. Regular monitoring by shortwave listeners and videos posted 
to YouTube
provide insight into how these work. These are issued from the 
NMCC, or in the
event of destruction, from the designated hierarchy of command and 
control centres.
Once a command centre has confirmed the EAM, using the two-man 
rule, the
Permissive Action Link (PAL) codes are entered to arm the weapons 
and the message
is sent out. These messages are sent in digital format via the 
secure Automatic Digital
Network and then relayed to aircraft via single-sideband radio 
transmitters of the High
Frequency Global Communications System, and, at least in the past, 
sent to nuclear
capable submarines via Very Low Frequency (Greenemeier 2008, 
Hardisty 1985).
The technical details of VLF submarine communication methods can be 
found online,
including PC-based VLF reception. Some reports have noted a 
Pentagon review,
which showed a potential “electronic back door into the US Navy’s 
system for
broadcasting nuclear launch orders to Trident submarines” (Peterson 
2004). The
investigation showed that cyber terrorists could potentially 
infiltrate this network and
insert false orders for launch. The investigation led to “elaborate 
new instructions for
validating launch orders” (Blair 2003). Adding further to the 
concern of cyber
terrorists seizing control over submarine launched nuclear 
missiles; The Royal Navy
announced in 2008 that it would be installing a Microsoft Windows 
operating system
on its nuclear submarines (Page 2008). The choice of operating 
system, apparently
based on Windows XP, is not as alarming as the advertising of such 
a system is. This
may attract hackers and narrow the necessary reconnaissance to 
learning its details
and potential exploits. It is unlikely that the operating system 
would play a direct role
in the signal to launch, although this is far from certain. 
Knowledge of the operating
system may lead to the insertion of malicious code, which could be 
used to gain
accelerating privileges, tracking, valuable information, and 
deception that could
subsequently be used to initiate a launch. Remember from Chapter 2 
that the UK’s
nuclear submarines have the authority to launch if they believe the 
central command
has been destroyed.
Attempts by cyber terrorists to create the illusion of a 
decapitating strike could also be
used to engage fail-deadly systems. Open source knowledge is scarce 
as to whether
Russia continues to operate such a system. However evidence 
suggests that they have
in the past. Perimetr, also known as Dead Hand, was an automated 
system set to
launch a mass scale nuclear attack in the event of a decapitation 
strike against Soviet
leadership and military.
In a crisis, military officials would send a coded message to the 
bunkers,
switching on the dead hand. If nearby ground-level sensors detected 
a nuclear
attack on Moscow, and if a break was detected in communications 
links with top
military commanders, the system would send low-frequency signals 
over
underground antennas to special rockets. Flying high over missile 
fields and
other military sites, these rockets in turn would broadcast attack 
orders to
missiles, bombers and, via radio relays, submarines at sea. 
Contrary to some
Western beliefs, Dr. Blair says, many of Russia's nuclear-armed 
missiles in
underground silos and on mobile launchers can be fired 
automatically. (Broad
1993)
Assuming such a system is still active, cyber terrorists would need 
to create a crisis
situation in order to activate Perimetr, and then fool it into 
believing a decapitating
strike had taken place. While this is not an easy task, the 
information age makes it
easier. Cyber reconnaissance could help locate the machine and 
learn its inner
workings. This could be done by targeting the computers high of 
level
official’s—anyone who has reportedly worked on such a project, or 
individuals
involved in military operations at underground facilities, such as 
those reported to be
located at Yamantau and Kosvinksy mountains in the central southern 
Urals
(Rosenbaum 2007, Blair 2008)
Indirect Control of Launch
Cyber terrorists could cause incorrect information to be 
transmitted, received, or
displayed at nuclear command and control centres, or shut down 
these centres’
computer networks completely. In 1995, a Norwegian scientific 
sounding rocket was
mistaken by Russian early warning systems as a nuclear missile 
launched from a US
submarine. A radar operator used Krokus to notify a general on duty 
who decided to
alert the highest levels. Kavkaz was implemented, all three chegets 
activated, and the
countdown for a nuclear decision began. It took eight minutes 
before the missile was
properly identified—a considerable amount of time considering the 
speed with which
a nuclear response must be decided upon (Aftergood 2000).
Creating a false signal in these early warning systems would be 
relatively easy using
computer network operations. The real difficulty would be gaining 
access to these
systems as they are most likely on a closed network. However, if 
they are
transmitting wirelessly, that may provide an entry point, and 
information gained
through the internet may reveal the details, such as passwords and 
software, for
gaining entrance to the closed network. If access was obtained, a 
false alarm could be
followed by something like a DDoS attack, so the operators believe 
an attack may be
imminent, yet they can no longer verify it. This could add pressure 
to the decision
making process, and if coordinated precisely, could appear as a 
first round EMP burst.
Terrorist groups could also attempt to launch a non-nuclear 
missile, such as the one
used by Norway, in an attempt to fool the system. The number of 
states who possess
such technology is far greater than the number of states who 
possess nuclear weapons.
Obtaining them would be considerably easier, especially when 
enhancing operations
through computer network operations. Combining traditional 
terrorist methods with
cyber techniques opens opportunities neither could accomplish on 
their own. For
example, radar stations might be more vulnerable to a computer 
attack, while
satellites are more vulnerable to jamming from a laser beam, thus 
together they deny
dual phenomenology. Mapping communications networks through cyber
reconnaissance may expose weaknesses, and automated scanning 
devices created by
more experienced hackers can be readily found on the internet.
Intercepting or spoofing communications is a highly complex 
science. These systems
are designed to protect against the world’s most powerful and well 
funded militaries.
Yet, there are recurring gaffes, and the very nature of asymmetric 
warfare is to bypass
complexities by finding simple loopholes. For example, commercially 
available
software for voice-morphing could be used to capture voice commands 
within the
command and control structure, cut these sound bytes into phonemes, 
and splice it
back together in order to issue false voice commands (Andersen 
2001, Chapter 16).
Spoofing could also be used to escalate a volatile situation in the 
hopes of starting a
nuclear war. “In June 1998, a group of international hackers 
calling themselves
Milw0rm hacked the web site of India’s Bhabha Atomic Research 
Center (BARC)
and put up a spoofed web page showing a mushroom cloud and the text 
“If a nuclear
war does start, you will be the first to scream” (Denning 1999). 
Hacker web-page
defacements like these are often derided by critics of cyber 
terrorism as simply being
a nuisance which causes no significant harm. However, web-page 
defacements are
becoming more common, and they point towards alarming possibilities 
in subversion.
During the 2007 cyber attacks against Estonia, a counterfeit letter 
of apology from
Prime Minister Andrus Ansip was planted on his political party 
website (Grant 2007).
This took place amid the confusion of mass DDoS attacks, real world 
protests, and
accusations between governments.
The 2008 terrorist attacks in Mumbai illustrate several points. 
First, terrorists are
using computer technology to enhance their capabilities. To 
navigate to Mumbai by
sea and to aid in reconnaissance of targets, they used the Global 
Positioning System
(GPS) satellite system and Google Earth (Bedi 2008, Kahn and Worth 
2008). They
also used mobile phone SIM cards, purchased in foreign countries, 
VoIP phone calls,
and online money transfers (Part of 26/11 plot hatched on our soil, 
admits Pakistan
2009). Falsified identification and stolen credit cards may have 
also been aided by
online capabilities. Second, a false claim of responsibility was 
issued through an email
to media outlets. Initial tracking of the IP address showed the e-
mail to have
been sent from a computer in Russia. It was later revealed that the 
e-mail was sent
from Pakistan and routed through Russia (Shashthi 2008). Voice-
recognition
software was used to allow “dictated text to be typed in the 
Devnagari font” (Swami
2008). Lastly, the Mumbai attacks showed an increasing reliance on 
information
technology by the intended victims of terrorism. This included 
Twitter messages,
Flickr photos, a map of attack locations on Google Maps, and live 
text and video
coverage of the attacks (Beaumont 2008). Terrorists could insert 
disinformation into
these systems in order to enhance destruction, evade capture, or 
increase hostility
between groups. Terrorist could even clandestinely enlist the aid 
of their enemy to
enhance destruction. For example, at the height of a terror attack 
they could claim to
have exclusive video footage of the attack, which requires a codec 
to be downloaded
in order to be viewed. This codec could contain a Trojan which uses 
the now infected
computer to silently launch DDoS attacks against their desired 
targets, such as
communications networks. Building an infidel botnet prior to an 
attack could take on
a wide range of symbolism, from a pdf file about anti-terrorism to 
an unreleased
Hollywood film.
Acquiring a Nuke
The previous chapters of this paper have already illustrated 
concerns over terrorists
directly acquiring a nuclear weapon. These concerns include a 
possible lack of
security measures at nuclear facilities in Russia and Pakistan. All 
of the nuclear
armed states have placed an importance on mobility in order to 
survive a first strike,
which raises the concern of increased opportunity for capture or 
misplacement of
these weapons. Dummy warheads, such as those used by India, could 
further enhance
this risk, by providing a cover for the transport of real nuclear 
weapons. Computer
network reconnaissance could gather information on transport 
schedules. In 2007, the
US Air Force mistakenly transported six nuclear missiles on a B-52 
bomber from
Minot Air Force Base in North Dakota to Barksdale Air Force Base in 
Louisiana. The
nuclear warheads in the missiles were supposed to have been removed 
before taking
the missiles from their storage bunker. These warheads were not 
reported missing
and remained mounted to the aircraft without special guard for 36 
hours. Ironically,
an investigation concluded the reason for the error was that the 
current electronic
scheduling system was substituted by an outdated paper schedule 
system which
contained incorrect information. But upgrading these systems to 
electronic means
will open the possibility of tampering by remote computer 
exploitation (Liolios 2008,
Baker 2007).
If terrorists did acquire a nuclear weapon, there is no guarantee 
they could detonate it.
The majority of nuclear states, including the US and Russia, 
utilize Permissive Action
Link (PAL) safety devices. A nuclear weapon utilizing a PAL cannot 
be armed
unless a code is correctly entered. Anti-tamper systems can cause 
the weapon to selfdestruct
without explosion. These mechanisms vary between weapon types, but 
can
include “gas bottles to deform the pit and hydride the plutonium in 
it; shaped charges
to destroy components, such as neutron generators and the tritium 
boost; and
asymmetric detonation that results in plutonium dispersal rather 
than yield ... other
mechanisms used to prevent accidental detonation include the 
deliberate weakening of
critical parts of the detonator system, so that they will fail if 
exposed to certain
abnormal environments” (Andersen 2001). Tactical nuclear weapons 
whose nature
precludes the use of PALs may be stored in similar tamper-sensing 
containers called
Prescribed Action Protective Systems (PAPS). It is unclear how 
pervasive the use of
PAPS and similar devices is among nuclear states, with multiple 
reports suggesting
that many are protected by nothing more than simple padlocks 
(Peterson 2004).
Information on PAL codes would be a high value target for cyber 
terrorists.
Building a Nuke
Acquiring the material for building a nuclear bomb or dirty bomb is 
another option for
cyber terrorists. There are more than 50 tons of highly enriched 
uranium (HEU) in
civilian use alone (Glaser and Von Hippel 2006). Civilian 
infrastructure is
significantly less guarded than military installations and is more 
prone to computer
network operations. They may not operate on closed networks or have 
the funding to
implement cyber defences and training. Difficulties in nuclear 
forensics may make it
difficult for a nuclear explosion to be traced back to a HEU 
source, thereby reducing a
sense of responsibility for keeping sources secure (Allison 2009). 
If terrorists
acquired HEU they would still need to build a gun-type detonating 
device. Open
source information in the information age provides many clues as to 
how to build
such a device. However it remains far from simple. Numerous states, 
with resources
well beyond that of terrorists, have tried and failed to develop 
nuclear weapons.
One alternative for terrorists would be to acquire a dirty bomb. 
Dirty bombs combine
radioactive material with a conventional explosive. The radioactive 
material required
for these type bombs are much more accessible. There are millions 
of sources
worldwide for medical purposes and academic research. Dirty bombs 
are designed to
disperse radioactive material over a large area. However the death 
toll caused by this
would be minimal. The explosive device itself may cause more death 
than that
caused by subsequent radiation exposure. The resulting financial 
loss from
decontamination, lost business and tourism, and lost confidence and 
public fear
caused by such a device, are what make them an attractive option 
for terrorists. As of
May 2009, no dirty bomb has ever been used, although a few have 
been found. In
1995, a group of Chechen separatists buried a caesium-137 source 
wrapped in
explosives at the Izmaylovsky Park in Moscow. A Chechen rebel 
leader alerted the
media, and the bomb was never activated. In 1998, a second attempt 
was announced
by the Chechen Security Service, who discovered a container filled 
with radioactive
materials attached to an explosive mine near a railway line. The 
unsecure nature of
radioactive contaminants can be seen in a number of incidents. From 
the ease in
which they can be obtained, demonstrated by two metal scavengers in 
Brazil who
broke into a radiotherapy clinic, accidentally contaminating 249 
people, to the
undetected transport of polonium-210 used to kill Alexander 
Litvinenko (Krock and
Deusser 2003).
4. Conclusion
This research has shown that nuclear command and control structures 
are vulnerable
to cyber terrorism. Cyber terrorism provides the asymmetric 
benefits of low cost,
high speed, anonymity, and the removal of geographic distance. 
Inherent flaws in
current nuclear postures provide increasing opportunities for 
computer exploitation.
Despite claims that nuclear launch orders can only come from the 
highest authorities,
numerous examples point towards an ability to sidestep the chain of 
command and
insert orders at lower levels. Cyber terrorists could also provoke 
a nuclear launch by
spoofing early warning and identification systems or by degrading 
communication
networks. These systems are placed at a higher degree of 
exploitation due to the need
for rapid decisions under high pressure with limited intelligence. 
The desire of
nuclear states to have multiple launch platforms, mobility, and 
redundancy, open the
opportunity for misplaced or misdirected warheads. Lastly, if a 
nuclear device were
detonated, its destructive powern can now be magnified by computer 
network
operations, such as misinformation or shutting down key 
infrastructure.
References
Aftergood, Steven. (2000). Strategic Command And Control. Retrieved 
on April 9,
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