An upcoming military contract valued at approximately half a billion dollars is set to initiate the development of lethal cyber weapons that can be deployed by U.S. troops, according to Nextgov. The weapons will be based on computer code and potentially give troops the power to direct an enemy's critical infrastructure to destroy itself.
"I trust it," said Bill Leigher, a retired Navy admiral who runs Raytheon's government cyber solutions division. "I know how it's going to be used, and I believe that it is the best option to execute, and it doesn't create more risk for the 27-year-old Air Force pilot who is flying over a defended target."
With hackers gaining access to an increasingly complicated number of tools, cyber security has become a top priority for many countries around the world, according to Benzinga. Furthermore, the increased focus on cyber warfare has given smaller nations a better chance at taking on the United States due to less of an emphasis on military, which could be a factor in the Pentagon's investment in cyber weapons.
Notably, China is currently focusing on its cyber warfare capabilities in order to decrease its reliance on ground troops and increase the focus on cyber weapons, according to Next Big Future.
