"Satellites Easier to Hack Than a Windows Device"

According to a new paper by a team of researchers from Ruhr University Bochum and the CISPA Helmholtz Center for Information Security in Saarbrücken, satellites are vulnerable to cyberattacks and do not even use basic cryptography. The research team analyzed two smallsats and one medium-sized device. One of the satellites is used commercially and orbits the planet in order to monitor Earth. Rarely do commercial companies disclose information about their software. However, with the help of the European Space Agency (ESA), several universities engaged in the building of satellites, and a commercial company, researchers were able to gain access to sensitive information. Johannes Willbold, a Ph.D. student from Bochum and one of the leaders of the paper's research team, told Cybernews that his group discovered several exploitable flaws in satellites. According to Willbold, malicious hackers could hack them using off-the-shelf equipment. This article continues to discuss Willbold's insights and research on satellite security and why a hacker would target a satellite.

Cybernews reports "Satellites Easier to Hack Than a Windows Device"