In SINGAPORE – The failure of airline navigation systems leading to an aircraft collision and the jamming of mobile signals leading to loss of communication may seem like scenes in an action movie, but these threats – which arise when satellite systems are hacked – are closer to reality than anyone might think. , Experts say.
“We see that hackers have more efficient tools … (and) the satellite system is a very attractive target for hackers because most of our activities now depend on the services provided by satellites,” said cyber-head Mr. Frank Perrin. Security, Platform, and Infrastructure for Satellite Manufacturer Thales Alenia Space.
He said that many parts of the satellites have now been replaced with software, which will allow space platforms to become more connected to the ground infrastructure and open up more avenues for accessing them through such systems.
Perrin addressed journalists around the world on the occasion of Thales Media Day, organized by the French multinational company Thales in Paris last month.
Mr. Massimo Mercati, head of the European Space Agency’s Security Office, said at the same event that a lone hacker could infiltrate ground systems in a satellite network, or only a criminal organization with the resources to carry out direct attacks on satellites.
The latest attack on the satellite network comes on February 24, following Russia’s attack on Ukraine.
ViaSat, the Internet service provider that owns the satellite, says the hack has shut down satellite broadband services for tens of thousands of households across Europe.
The hacker, who was not identified in Viasat’s report, misused the configuration on a virtual private networking device that was part of the ground system to gain remote access to the company’s network connecting its KA-SAT satellite and customer modems.
The intruder sent commands to several modems, which overwritten key data in the device’s memory storage and disable them. But Vyasat said it had not compromised on the satellite issue.
Reuters reports that Russia, along with the European Union and the United States, and Britain, is to blame for the cyber attack.
Sylvia Diana, Thales Business Development Manager at the event in Paris, said ground systems were the main target of cyber attacks on satellite networks.
If successful, intruders can create havoc by sending false commands or uploading malicious software to various parts of the compromised network.
She said the attacks could affect services such as TV broadcasting, Internet connectivity, and navigation systems, as well as corrupt data sent through networks, including information on banking, military operations, and scientific studies.
Mr. Perrin said there had been no direct hacking of the satellites.
However, this does not mean that such a cyber attack will not take place, he added.
Mr. Mercati said it needed a criminal organization with the resources and technology to do so.