US Cyber Command Probes Spike in Suicides Among Elite Hackers
US Military's Cyber Command Unit Grapples with Cluster of Deaths by Suicide
The US military's cyberwarfare unit is investigating an unusually high number of suicides among its personnel over a month-long period this summer, according to officials and records reviewed by Bloomberg News. The deaths have alarmed lawmakers and military leaders, reigniting concerns about the mental health of military hackers whose workload has surged due to foreign conflicts.
The deaths have worried US lawmakers and military leaders within the secretive section of the armed forces, which defends American computer systems and hacks foreign adversaries.
- YesThatTom2
I suspect the Cold War of cyber warfare that is happening is orders of magnitude bigger than the public knows.
Imagine knowing this and not being able to get emotional support from your friends and family.
- someothherguyy
"Between early June and early July, as many as five individuals who worked in or closely with US Cyber Command died by suicide, based on internal communications, public records and sources. The deaths have raised concern among lawmakers and military leaders within the highly secretive command, which is responsible for defending US networks and conducting offensive cyber operations."
According to https://www.gao.gov/assets/gao-25-107121.pdf there are ~17,000 authorized positions
- nosmokewhereiam
Glad to see this brought up! My entire Air Force experience is blocked to comment on besides basic training...Tech school and forward is NDA'd, read in, etc
You don't really get to sneak a glimpse of operations and write a book like the SEALs seem get to (jk!)
- aga98mtl
There is a tv show about in-the-know government employees dying by suicide: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wormwood_%28miniseries%29
- Arun2009
I wonder whether any American civilians are losing sleep over how the current administration and its supporters' robust "race realist" rhetoric and worldview might be used by adversaries for some very cruel and effective psychological warfare on military and bureaucratic personnel from minority groups in the US.
- bluealienpie
Shoot and cry
- strictnein
It's sad how many people are commenting on this with insane conspiracy theories and that people are actually responding in support of them. Really shows how falling into echo chambers online and buying into conspiracy theories can cause significant harm to ones ability to think rationally.
- somenameforme
I'm curious if LLMs have a role here. They're phenomenally capable at cyber stuff, and the military is without doubt taking full advantage of this. For people who's sole identity is tied into something that LLMs become better than them at, it seems easy to imagine that zooming straight on over to existential crisis territory.
- jongjong
Whenever I hear some big AI CEO say that AGI/ASI might end humanity, I imagine it doing so by conditioning people to commit suicide or some kind of massive-scale manipulation. Probably setting people up into complicated bad situations and then blackmailing them.
I don't know if this is it here. These sorts of jobs can have tough moral implications. But it seems like a hierarchy of blackmail has been set up in our society and it seems like a dangerous vulnerability.
- glimshe
Wasn't there something similar with scientists recently? I wonder how much of that is just statistical noise.