10/28/2011

Report: Cyber attacks targeted U.S. satellites

A draft government report details several occasions in 2008 when the NASA Earth-observation satellite, Terra EOS AM-1, seen here during its launch in 1999, was targeted by cyber attacks, presumably by the Chinese military. (NASA)

Πηγή: Federal Times
By NICOLE BLAKE JOHNSON
Oct 28 2011

Cyber hackers "achieved all steps required to command" a NASA satellite, which put the satellite at risk of being destroyed or damaged, according to a draft report by the U.S.-China Economic and Security Review Commission.

The Terra EOS AM-1 satellite, used to study climate and environmental changes, experienced nine or more minutes of interference in October 2008, according to the draft report, obtained by Federal Times.

The report also notes an earlier incident in June 2008 when the NASA satellite experienced two or more minutes of interference. The report did not say explicitly that the hackers were Chinese, but it said the techniques of the hackers "appear consistent with authoritative Chinese military writings."

A final version of the report will be sent to Congress on Nov. 16.

NASA spokesman Trent Perrotto confirmed that there was a "suspicious event" with the spacecraft in the summer and fall of 2008, but no data was manipulated.

Perrotto said no commands were successfully sent to the satellite, but NASA could not say whether hackers gained command of the satellite. NASA notified the Defense Department of the incidents, he said. DoD is responsible for investigating any attempted interference with satellite operations.

The draft report noted that hackers did not issue commands to the satellite, but the interference "poses numerous potential threats."

For example:

• Access to a satellite‘s controls could allow an attacker to damage or destroy the satellite.

• The attacker could deny or manipulate the satellite‘s transmission.

• An attacker could reveal the satellite‘s capabilities or information, such as imagery, gained through its sensors.

The U.S. Geological Survey was also a victim of cyber attacks, the report said.

In 2007 and 2008, a USGS satellite called the Landsat-7 experienced 12 or more minutes of interference, according to the report.

"The satellite continued its normal operations," USGS' Jon Campbell said, in reference to the 2007 incident. "There was no interruption of what the satellite would do normally."

Campbell said "interference" is not an accurate description of what the agency believes to have been a radio signal from the ground that was detected by the satellite. The signal "seemed to be an attempt to lock on to the satellite, a procedure that must be completed successfully before a command from a ground station can be received."

"In each case, the attempt failed," Campbell said.



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