"Satellites Are Rife With Basic Security Flaws"

A new study by a group of German academics reveals some of the security vulnerabilities of satellites currently circling the Earth. Researchers from Ruhr University Bochum and the Cispa Helmholtz Center for Information Security examined the software used by three small satellites. They discovered that the systems lacked some fundamental security measures. According to an academic paper, the satellites inspected by the researchers contain "simple" vulnerabilities in their firmware, showing that little security research from the last decade has reached the space domain. A lack of protection for who can communicate with satellite systems and the absence of encryption are among the issues. The vulnerabilities discovered by the researchers could theoretically enable an attacker to take control of a satellite and crash it into other objects. This article continues to discuss findings from the research on satellite security.

Wired reports "Satellites Are Rife With Basic Security Flaws"