Dr. Charles Verdon, who leads a team responsible for the upkeep of U.S. nuclear weapons, on Tuesday said the National Nuclear Security Administration was opening its "eyes much wider to figure out how" to "protect ourselves better against" such virtual threats.
"We clearly have to go — continue forward — doing our mission, but we are asking a lot more tougher questions," Verdon said at the annual Nuclear Deterrence Summit. "Do we have confidence out of ignorance? Or how do we establish confidence?"
Verdon said the NNSA is taking a two-prong proactive approach to fending off would-be attackers: "strengthening the front door" and "strengthening the back door, if you'd like."
The nuke agency is "also working on improving our ability to test and surveil to make sure that if they have gotten in the door, can we find it fast enough?" Verdon pledged. "Can we make sure that if they have gotten there, we detect it quickly?"
The weapons chief's remarks come months after the Energy Department was attacked in the sweeping SolarWinds hack, which ripped through a roster of private and public networks.
The furtive SolarWinds strike has been blamed on Russia, a U.S. rival and fellow nuclear powerhouse. President Joe Biden earlier this year announced sanctions against Russia in response to the attack and others.
"The Biden administration has been clear that the United States desires a relationship with Russia that is stable and predictable. We do not think that we need to continue on a negative trajectory," a White House statement reads. "However, we have also been clear — publicly and privately — that we will defend our national interests and impose costs for Russian government actions that seek to harm us."
Moscow has denied wrongdoing.
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