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.