"Hackers to Show They Can Take Over a European Space Agency Satellite"

Cybersecurity researchers will reveal how they took control of a European Space Agency (ESA) satellite in what is considered the world's first ethical satellite hacking exercise. Experts from the French defense giant Thales, together with members of the ESA team, will provide an explanation of the attack scenario at the CYSAT conference in Paris. Documents have revealed that China is developing similar capabilities to assume control of what it considers hostile satellites. According to one document, China plans to surpass conventional communications jamming, which blocks satellite-to-terrestrial terminal signals. The attackers would instead mimic the operator signals, potentially allowing them to gain control of a satellite and render it incapable of supporting communications, weapons, intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance systems. The demonstrative hack was orchestrated specifically for the CYSAT conference in order to illustrate the effects that real-world cyberattacks could have on civilian space systems. It targeted ESA's OPS-SAT, a shoebox-sized nanosatellite launched in December 2019 that contains an experimental computer ten times more powerful than any ESA spacecraft currently in operation. OPS-SAT is designed to address the risks associated with live-testing mission control systems. Thales stated that ESA maintained access to the satellite's systems throughout the exercise, allowing a return to normal operation following the drill. This article continues to discuss the ethical satellite hacking exercise. 

The Record reports "Hackers to Show They Can Take Over a European Space Agency Satellite"