Space Cyber attacks – the threat is growing

Space Cyber attacks – the threat is growing

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10661977_sCan hackers damage the Israeli spy and communications satellites?

This question is now evaluated by experts after such attacks were performed on American satellites.

In recent years computer hackers, possibly from the Chinese military, interfered with two U.S. government satellites. The first known attack was in 2007 and others followed later.

The intrusions on the satellites, used for earth climate and terrain observation, underscore the potential danger posed by hackers, according to excerpts from the final draft of the annual report by the U.S.-China Economic and Security Review Commission. According to the report draft. “Access to a satellite’s controls could allow an attacker to damage or destroy the satellite. An attacker could also deny or degrade as well as forge or otherwise manipulate the satellite’s transmission.”

A Landsat-7 earth observation satellite system experienced 12 or more minutes of interference in October 2007 and July 2008, according to the report.

Hackers interfered with a Terra AM-1 earth observation satellite twice, for two minutes in June 2008 and nine minutes in October that year, the draft says, citing a closed-door U.S. Air Force briefing.

The draft report doesn’t elaborate on the nature of the hackers’ interference with the satellites.

U.S. authorities for years have accused the Chinese government of orchestrating cyber attacks against adversaries and hacking into foreign computer networks to steal military and commercial secrets. Assigning definitive blame is difficult, the draft says, because the perpetrators obscure their involvement.

The Chinese have been denying the accusations.

Israel has a number of spy and communication satellites and more are being built now. The reported and unreported attacks on the U.S. satellites cause concern but I-HLS could not get any comment from an involved Israeli organization.