Originally posted here by roswell1329
I really wonder if hacking a nuclear weapon silo, or even the "early warning systems" that they mention would even be possible. These types of highly sensitive systems are rarely connected to any kind of network. This seems to be a common misunderstanding by the press. The press seems to always assume that if a computer is worth anything, it's on the internet and therefore vulnerable to attack by hackers. That's not painting a very competent view of the military. They know that if a system is on the network it is vulnerable.

Hmmm... terrorists hacking in from the internet into one of the most hardened computers the military has? Not very likely. First, as roswell1329 pointed out, none of those computers - and none that connect to them - are connected to the internet in ANY fashion. They are an isolated and independent system, totally self relient upon their own power supply and operating system. I would be more concerned if the computers controlling the launch command sequence was using a version of windows than their being hacked into from the internet.




Originally posted here by The Old Man
Most of the alarmist info in that source is from old (4-6 years) writings from Bruce Blair, one of the shakers & movers in C&C of nuclear weapons, and a fairly travelled fellow within the ranks of the insiders. In 2000 Mr. Blair graduated to a D.C. think tank that advises the CinC on those subjects. If you recall, Mr. Bush the candidate in 2000 did mention his concerns of weapons on high-alert, both U.S. and Russia, so many years after the "cold war" was declared "over". Since then he and Pres. Putin have held several private (and several other public) talks, and it is certain they discussed this very subject. In fact, it is certain the subject has been discussed and the system tweaked by people with considerably more expertise than some reporter dredging up news that is six years old. Aditionally, Pres. Bush would prefer (as did Pres Reagan) a system that would allow us to protect ourselves against any incoming birds, instead of just being able to push our own buttons and rataliate in kind. Sort of like if you see a fist coming you move to avoid the bloody nose, instead of just standing there and giving the attacker back whatever pain he gave you... Sounds like more logic to me than a couple of superpowers with their fingers on the button, so to speak (and no, it is *not* quite that simple!) There is no way i'm gonna stay awake thinking the people in D.C. and other think-tanks around the country don't have brains enough to figure out the angles on subjects like this, and fix what can be fixed under the circumstances. Anyway, that's what i think, how about you?


As far as what has been done to "de-alert" our missle command, I truely think that the US and USSR are both more than likely to discuss this "behind closed doors" rather than feed the media more fuel to attack them in the press. And as The Old Man stated, the US is attempting to create a system of missle defense rather than missle retaliation. It is pretty much a given that if the US and the USSR launched their nissles at each other, the outlook would probably be global destruction, not national. So I beleive that they would be MOST careful that their system was as secure from compromise as ishumanly possible.