WW: Bruce Schneier on why security can't work

Mon Mar 18 23:31:03 UTC 2013

On 3/18/13, Jay Ashworth <jra at baylink.com> wrote:
[snip]
> In the next 3 years, it will become possible to build an autonomously
> navigating aircraft that can a) cross the Atlantic and b) carry a
> nuclear weapon.

Not only is it already possible to build a human manually navigated aircraft
that can do both (a), and (b),   they  already exist,  and computer
autonomy isn't necessary or useful,  to hit a single big target;  now
computer autonomous aircraft that can do only (a) could be just as
useful as decoys.

Nuclear weapons are rare, expensive,  and the existing ones are
(hopefully) well-secured,  due to their extremely high value.    I
would be more concerned about  the possibility of a large swarm -- of
half a million solar powered drones   of the approximate size of a
large eagle capable of  crossing the oceans and releasing a spray of
bio agents over very large distances.

> -- jra
--
-JH