Trident software to be revised over hacking fears

Britain's Trident nuclear deterrent is to be updated to ensure it is safe from hackers.

A spokesman for the US Navy, which is linked to the UK's nuclear missile system, said a cyber-attack was now a "legitimate concern".

John Daniels told Bloomberg: "Now that cyber has become even more important in our national security, there will be even more requirements. In our modern era, cybersecurity threats are a legitimate concern."

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Britain and the US's nuclear deterrent schemes work together. The US both provides the Trident II D5 missiles carried on Britain's four Vanguard submarines and services them in Georgia. Britain, meanwhile, supplies the nuclear warheads, although recently declassified documents confirm they are designed and maintained with the help of US know-how, according to The Guardian.

Asked by the Daily Telegraph about the US plans to update the system, the Ministry of Defence remained tight-lipped, saying only that it has a responsibility to "continually assess the security of the whole deterrent programme and its operational effectiveness, including against threats from cyber".

The update comes "amid growing worries defence computers and systems could be vulnerable to cyber-attacks from Russia, China, groups such as Islamic State or organised crime gangs", adds the Telegraph.

Andrew Futter, a nuclear strategy expert at Leicester University, told the paper there was only a "very, very slim" threat that a hacker could take control of a missile or try to hold a country to ransom.

Instead, the main concern is that malicious software could be secretly hidden in nuclear systems when new parts are designed or made.

While operational, said Futter, the Vanguard submarines are protected from hackers by an "air gap" - they are not connected to the internet. It is only on their return to port for upgrades or refitting that there could be a risk.