Security News

New Zealand spooks say satellite snooping is obsolete – better intel is found elsewhere
2021-11-11 04:16

New Zealand's Government Communications Security Bureau - the nation's signals intelligence and infosec agency - will retire its Waihopai satellite communications interception station because it's no longer needed. "The nature of telecommunications has changed, and other needs and capabilities have overtaken the sort of satellite communication interception that has been done at Waihopai," said Andrew Little, the minister responsible for the GCSB. "The GCSB's own statement on the matter reads"Changes in global telecommunications and information technology mean the interception of satellite communications from Waihopai has declined over the years to the point where dish use is now virtually obsolete.

The European Space Agency Launches Hackable Satellite
2021-08-02 11:46

A sophisticated telecommunications satellite that can be completely repurposed while in space has launched. Because the satellite can be reprogrammed in orbit, it can respond to changing demands during its lifetime.

India and USA to share high-quality satellite imagery and more under new pact
2020-10-28 01:58

The USA and India have struck a new defence pact that will see the two nations share high-quality spatial data and satellite images. Doing so means that India can, in theory, be more precise should it act in neighbouring trouble spots.

U.S. Charges Three Iranian Hackers for Attacks on Satellite Companies
2020-09-17 18:50

The U.S. Department of Justice on Thursday announced charges against three Iranian nationals believed to have stolen information related to the United States' aerospace and satellite technologies. Authorities say the hackers used social engineering to trick people working in the aerospace and satellite sectors to hand over information that they could later use to create fake email accounts and domains.

DEF CON 2020 Wrap-Up: Hacking Phones, Cars and Satellites
2020-08-11 13:13

Tens of researchers showcased their work last week at the DEF CON hacking conference. They presented research on hacking phones, cars, satellite communications, traffic lights, smart home devices, printers, and popular software services, among many others.

How did you spend your time at university? Pizza, booze, sleeping? This Oxford student is snooping on satellites
2020-08-07 22:01

DEF CON FYI, if you didn't already know: readily available satellite TV electronics can be used to sniff and inspect satellite internet traffic. Customers of satellite broadband ISPs include large enterprises, shipping companies, and communications providers using orbiting birds to relay traffic.

Black Hat 2020: Satellite Comms Globally Open to $300 Eavesdropping Hack
2020-08-06 19:49

Satellite internet communications are susceptible to eavesdropping and signal interception by far-flung attackers located in a different continent or country from their victims. When a satellite ISP makes an internet connection for a customer, it beams that customer's signals up to a satellite in geostationary orbit within a narrow communications channel; that signal is then sent back down to a terrestrial receiving hub and routed to the internet.

DISA awards Intelligent Waves with the global satellite communications contract
2020-01-24 01:00

Intelligent Waves, an end-to-end information technology government solutions provider, announced that it was awarded a competitive, single award indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract with the Defense Information Systems Agency. The contract called Enhanced Mobile Satellite Services Global Logistical Services Management Contract has a lifecycle value of $48 million and a 1-year base with 4-year options.

The Role of Satellites in Quantum Key Distribution
2020-01-20 08:48

Could satellites play a role in distributing next-generation encryption keys? Robert Bedington, CTO and co-founder at Singapore-based SpeQtral, describes quantum communications via satellites in this in-depth interview with Information Security Media Group. Quantum communications protects key distribution channels against eavesdropping, he explains.

Federal Cyber Experts Christen Satellite Office in Georgia
2019-11-25 13:24

A U.S. Department of Defense unit has opened its first remote office outside the Pentagon with its new facility in east Georgia. Defense Digital Service works to find solutions for highly...