“The Perfect Weapon” is a new HBO Documentary based on the best-selling book of the same name by New York Times National Security Correspondent David Sanger.
The film draws on interviews with top military, intelligence and political officials for a comprehensive view of a world of new vulnerabilities, particularly as fear mounts over how cyberattacks and influence operations may affect the 2020 U.S. election.
As news breaks this week about ransomware hitting the nation’s hospitals, there are also fears over vulnerable power grids, America’s nuclear weapons arsenal, and the global networks that are the backbone of private enterprise.
The film also explores how the US government is struggling to defend itself from cyberattacks while simultaneously stockpiling and using the world's most powerful offensive cyber arsenal.
David Sanger is a national security correspondent and a senior writer at The New York Times. In a 38-year reporting career for The New York Times, he has been on three teams that have won Pulitzer Prizes, most recently in 2017 for international reporting.
This interview was recorded as a socially-distanced conversation at The Brick House, the Presidential Residence of Bennington College on Wednesday, October 28.
