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WASHINGTON: America’s nuclear force still uses floppy disks designed in the 1970s to coordinate some of its functions, according to a watchdog report released on Wednesday.
The report by the Government Accountability Office points to a number of worryingly outdated “legacy systems” still in use across the US government that are in desperate need of upgrading.
A Pentagon command and control system that “coordinates the operational functions of the United States’ nuclear forces, such as intercontinental ballistic missiles, nuclear bombers, and tanker support aircrafts,” runs on an IBM Series/1 computer and uses 8-inch floppy disks, the report says.
Published in Dawn, May 27th, 2016
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Comments (7) Closed
May 27, 2016 10:45am
because this is probably the most hacker free way to use computers. The US uses obsolete Red Indian languages for messaging instead of code language. They defeated Japanese intelligence code breaking skill by using red indians as signal officers.
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May 27, 2016 11:19am
Incredible
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May 27, 2016 11:30am
Americans are world no 1 in technology and this news can't be taken for granted at all..
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May 27, 2016 11:38am
So what? You forget about rusty file cabinets in our govt offices. Not to mention the clerks who don't know how to use computer. Our whole system is outdated for that matter.
Anyways, usage of floppy disks means old equipment, meaning minimum or no connectivity, thus effectively reducing information/data leakage risk. I cannot imagine it being just a coincidence.
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May 27, 2016 11:42am
And the Americans advise us to take better care of our nukes? This is unbelievable. Let's not forget that not only are the Americans the only country to use nuclear weapons in war but a few years back almost nuked one of their own Cities when a nuke accidentally fell out of an aircraft during transportation.Luckily, by the mercy of God, that nuke didn't detonate. That story is true.
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May 27, 2016 12:29pm
Its difficult and costly to completely overhaul and reinvent a system. If you just use your phone for calls, then its still ok to stick with your 10 year old Nokia as long as it works, even though there are smartphones available these days. Similar case here.
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May 28, 2016 01:50am
Few days back some countries have decided to use type writers for official correspondence to prevent hacking attempts.
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