The sputtering transition and second impeachment of President Trump are providing a “golden opportunity” for U.S. foes to launch a devastating attack on internet and electric services, according to the nation’s foremost expert on cyberwar.
“The U.S. political crisis is being closely watched by Russia, China, North Korea, and Iran as a potential golden opportunity for aggression, including the worst-case nuclear electromagnetic pulse attack,” said Peter Pry.
In an interview, he said it could lead to a “World War III Cybergeddon,” in which the internet and electric grid go dark.
Pry recently authored a report that said a massive EMP attack would end the United States. "Nine of 10 Americans are dead from starvation, disease, and societal collapse. The United States of America ceases to exist,” warned the report.
He and others, some in the military, have warned that U.S. foes could launch a small nuclear weapon from a satellite, ship, or submarine that would explode in the atmosphere and kill electronics below. This week, North Korea unveiled a new nuclear missile it can launch from a sub.
Under pressure from Pry and others, the Trump administration has made significant changes to protect U.S. military and other facilities from an EMP attack, but civilian facilities and the power grid remain vulnerable.
“Totalitarian and authoritarian states view leadership crises and periods of deep domestic political division as invitations to aggression,” he said.
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