It sounds like a large-scale artificial satellite, but in fact it has become clear that it can be easily hijacked if the conditions are met. The overseas media “vice” explains this.
*Category：technology Technology｜*Source：vice,independent
Hackers practice satellite hacking at DEF CON
At the hacking conference “DEF CON” held in Las Vegas, Mr. Karl Kosha, one of the members of the hacking enthusiast group called Shadytel, explained how to hack a satellite in a geostationary orbit 35,786 km away from the earth. .
At the event, Mr. Kosher said that the unused uplink of the defunct Canadian broadcasting satellite “Anik F1R” (the transmission from the earth station to the communication satellite when using satellite communication or satellite broadcast or satellite relay) It has access to a communication path that is connected to a satellite, and is the practice of sending signals to satellites.
Of course, this hack was licensed by the Canadian company Telesat, which owns the Anik F1R. Also, the satellite they used, Anik F1R, was scheduled to reach the end of its life in 2020 and move to a so-called “graveyard orbit” in November 2021, which is even further than the geostationary orbit.
The satellite we hacked this time still has an uplink and a satellite transponder (a device that opens a channel between the receiving and transmitting antennas), so that if we hack it, we can send images from the satellite. is.
From the satellite he hacked in October 2021, he streamed talks at the hacking conference “ToorCon” in San Diego, as well as movies like “WarGames” at night.
Also, due to the wide bandwidth, not only streaming distribution but also audio broadcasting connected to a bridge for conference calls can be used, Kosher said.
Mr. Kosher says, “Anyone with the technology to connect may be able to use the satellite.” What was actually necessary for this access was only a software radio “Hack RF” that costs about $ 300 (about 40,000 yen).
In fact, satellites only reflect the signals sent to them. No authentication, no restrictions, nothing.
“If there are other users on that transponder, you need to keep sending a stronger signal than the other users, but if no one is there, just keep sending the signal and the satellite will repeat it,” Kosher said. says.
In other words, while satellites are difficult to hack while they are in active use, they are relatively easy to hijack when they are no longer in use.
At the conference, Belgian security researchers also succeeded in accessing SpaceX’s Starlink satellite using a handmade circuit board.
Although no major incidents of satellite hacking have occurred so far, such vulnerabilities may become a major risk in the future. Hacking of military satellites, which is particularly important, is likely to be targeted by various hacking groups.