US nuclear arsenal controlled by 1970s computers with 8in floppy disks

https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/9a6f...00.jpg?w=620&q=55&auto=format&usm=12&fit=max&



[FONT=Times New Roman, serif]If this doesn't scare you, nothing will. Billions for airplanes that can't fly. Thousands for toilet seats. No military pay raises. [/FONT]


[FONT=Times New Roman, serif]Given that magnetic media has a finite shelf life, and that disks and the drives needed to read and write to them are older than some of the operators of the machinery, the floppy revelation makes you wonder whether the US could even launch a nuclear attack if required. An “error, data corrupted” message could be literally life or death.


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[FONT=Times New Roman, serif]Hell, a $300 laptop has more computing power than they antiquities. Story @ https://www.theguardian.com/technol...ontrolled-by-1970s-computers-8in-floppy-disks[/FONT]

 

I talked to a US Minuteman ICBM operative. The low tech prevents hacking.