Defense & Intelligence Policy, Business and Technology

Could an air conditioner take down a military base? The Pentagon is worried

Fifth Domain: WASHINGTON ― The Pentagon is looking to take steps against the possibility that a cyberattack could take down the crucial infrastructure at its bases, both domestically and overseas, per a top department official.

Lucian Niemeyer, assistant secretary of defense for energy, installations and environment, said over the next year his team will be focused on finding solutions to potential vulnerabilities in the industrial control systems ― the devices that control major pieces of equipment such as air conditioning units ― throughout military installations.

“My concern is, I never want to be in front of the secretary of defense explaining why we could not conduct a critical mission because they happened to go in through a system in my purview,” he told Defense News in a November interview.

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