OT: Funny in a really scary way

[AMF]

According to this story:

http://www.cdi.org/blair/permissive-action-links.cfm


...from the 1960's through 1977, the high-security 8-digit launch code for minuteman ICBM's was:

0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0





EDIT: forgot to add the "OT" to the subject

[ June 03, 2004, 14:56: Message edited by: alarikf ]

[PvK]

It's a good thing no one set their coffee on the zero key, then!

PvK

[Ragnarok-X]

rather scary than funny...

[geoschmo]

The series of zeros wouldn't have been enough to launch the missles. There were switches and keys and whatever that had to be thrown in the proper order. It wouldn't be something where you bumped into the desk and accidentally nuked Vladivostok. But this did mean that if a base was overrun by hostiles or a missle crew went wacky they could make a deliberate action and launch without the proper authorization. I guess the military figured their security and training was sufficent to prevent this. Pretty scary, I agree.

[Kamog]

Yeah, that's scary. If someone were to try to guess the password, and if they knew it was 8 digits, they might start with 00000000, then try 00000001, 00000002, and so on.

[Atrocities]

And so the �secret unlock code� during the height of the nuclear crises of the Cold War remained constant at OOOOOOOO.

I am ill...... just ill.

[Raging Deadstar]

Originally posted by Kamog:
Yeah, that's scary. If someone were to try to guess the password, and if they knew it was 8 digits, they might start with 00000000, then try 00000001, 00000002, and so on.

Or if we were really lucky they would have started at 99999999

I can only imagine if aliens out there do exist and receive the Last news broadcast from earth, somehow decypher it and believe it will be of monumental discovery.

Then they discover we wiped ourselves out by setting a VERY important 8 digit security code at 00000000

It's not the sort of way i'd like this race be remembered for all time...I might go write an empire description simmilar to this

[Atrocities]

And to think, these people were the smartest folks on the planet and they held our lives in their hands yet they choose a code system that you could basically dial like a phone number..... yes indeed this is very scary and NOVA or 60 minutes should do a story on it.

[Raging Deadstar]

Originally posted by Atrocities:
And to think, these people were the smartest folks on the planet and they held our lives in their hands yet they choose a code system that you could basically dial like a phone number..... yes indeed this is very scary and NOVA or 60 minutes should do a story on it.

I think it's more human ignorance. You'd be surprised on the network at school how many students still keep their accounts password as "password"

[PvK]

If you read the article, it's not just that it was a simple code that someone might guess, but that they also told everyone at the facility what it was, because they didn't ever want to have it holding back their ability to fire.

The page follows with silo security analyses which many gamers (especially, smart tactical roleplayers such as I've often played RPG's with) would be able to devise simple and cheap plans which could overcome the security. Apparently we've been lucky so far that there have not been more determined and capable madmen around, trying. And that's just the nuclear weapons system in the USA...

PvK