Missiles being moved around may have presented a few Maalox moments, but when they were in the silos, they were safe and secure, right? You're not gonna launch these babies without bunches of people going through bunches of complicated steps, especially once Defense Secretary Robert McNamara put technical locks on the Minutemen nukes around 1961, right? Except that the Strategic Air Command thought the eight-digit combinations necessary to launch intercontinental ballistic missiles were for wimps, the kind of fraidy-cats who engage the safety on their personal firearms. So the combination for all the missiles was kept at "00000000."

This was revealed by Bruce G. Blair, PhD, who was a Minuteman launch officer during this period. Now the head of the Center for Defense Information, he says: "Our launch checklist in fact instructed us, the firing crew, to double-check the locking panel in our underground launch bunker to ensure that no digits other than zero had been inadvertently dialed into the panel."

When Blair told McNamara about this in 2004, the old warmonger went ballistic. "I am shocked, absolutely shocked and outraged," he blustered. "Who the hell authorized that?"

The locks were finally given legitimate combinations in 1977.

Sort of clever I guess-who would try that combination?
Except its a bit lazy,and experienced hackers would probably try numbers like this.

It reminds me of the Gary Mckinnon case where he got into the defense dept/nasa networks by logging on as administrator,with no password.

There was/is a reason why the 0's were used. They were analog wheels and the real combination had to be spun in. Setting on zero meant the wheel had to turned a maximum of 5 clicks for any digit. I know, any number on a wheel with 10 digits is 5 clicks away but, it saves time having to dial when everything is set at zero and this was their training. They were trained to act not think, when they were on station.

Sometimes, with things like this, its best to take a step back and ask yourself "how realistic does this claim really seem?" This is one of those times.

When I am asked things like "where does this info come from" and "im skeptical as to if this is true", I think to myself "do I have to walk you to school too?"

All the information you need was provided in the OP.

Enter his name into google.

copy and paste it if you feel the need, here it is again - Bruce G. Blair, PhD -

This will easily lead you to find the answers to any lingering questions.

OK? Now Daddys gotta go to work, have a good day in class

ps - Thank You hinky, I was unaware of that. very insightful.

[edit on 4-11-2007 by Grock]

There are a lot of factors to consider, here. Drills often use numbers such as this as hypothetical references to what may really be used. And, what, exactly, this lock goes to is seemingly missing.

And, there was and remains no way to access anything relating to nuclear missile launch sequences from outside of their isolated network. Period. I could hack into all the DOD systems I wanted to from my home computer and never come anywhere close to launching a missile. Chances are that I would never even encounter material with a classification level higher than confidential - everything else should (keyword) be kept on isolated networks.

For instance - I could, theoretically, hack into the computers in the computer room at the reserve center in Kansas City. It's a DOD network and system. Even if I were to get access to the administration's computers - the 'best' I could find would be personal information. But, it is a DOD network - but not a high-profile one.

Hacking into DOD systems and getting classified information is something of a Hollyweird myth.

Ha. That is absolutely unbelievable.

That reminds me of that scene from Spaceballs where the King is reluctant to give the codes to Planet Druidia. When he ends up doing it, the code is 12345.

This situation is pretty similar. It used to be the code on my luggage. Only in America could someone program the codes to armageddon as something so rudimentary that an infant punching a keypad could have sparked the end of the world.

This is almost as absent minded as the nukes being transported cross-country unbeknownst to anyone.

Any combination of numbers would present the same challenge to anyone manually trying to break the "code."

There are 10^8 possibilities.

You'd think that even an invertibrate imbecile like Robert McNamara would know that.

I wonder if there are still codes like this out there....

a secret simple code for ATM's would be nice...

Originally posted by Grock
a secret simple code for ATM's would be nice...

There was a time - and not al that long ago! - that some ATM's sent the data down the line UNENCRYPTED!! - these were the sort of 'freestanding' ATM's that you see in corner shops, petrol stations etc.

Some bright spark (and I got to tip my hat to him) put together a logger device that he could simply clip around the cable coming out of the back - And I've seen it, sometimes those cables are accessible. His device was able to read and log the data sent through induction... The cable was never physically compromised.

Knowing it was unencrypted he made a (prob quite simple) bit of software to decipher he data. All that was left to do was retrieve his device(s), get the essential digits and go shopping.

Needless to say he got caught after a while. But common -that shows a level of class most thieves of that level simply don't.

I'll look for a link.

I owe you one for that.

Good lookin out.