As military and defense industry leaders came together in October for the AUSA Annual Meeting & Expo, they learned about the new and innovative systems available to the nation’s military. Many of these systems will be smart, connected weapons, which give our fighters a greater advantage on the battlefield. But they also pose serious cybersecurity risks that must be addressed. 

Indeed, in a report released by the Government Accountability Office nearly two years ago, it was revealed that DOD security researchers gained access to nearly all major weapons systems currently in use and under development. Once, because the system was still using the default password visible through an open-source search. In another instance, researchers were able to disable an entire weapons system without detection, later to learn the system crashed so often on its own that it was difficult for officials to detect a breach. Perhaps most concerning is that one test team found that only one of 20 previously identified vulnerabilities had been fixed. 

These are shocking lapses in cyber hygiene that could have real-world consequences. These weaknesses should not be difficult to address; changing the…

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