Is it possible to hack satellites?
In the realm of cyber warfare, a satellite communications enthusiast named Paul Marsh has expressed doubts about the reports of hacking incidents involving government satellites, including the infamous 2008 incident where hackers, believed to be operating from China, interfered with two US government satellites, Landsat-7 and Terra AM-1.
Marsh, who has been vocal about satellite communications, questions whether Chinese hackers have the capability to send tracking and telemetry data to a satellite. His doubts add to the speculation surrounding cyber warfare and the potential vulnerabilities of our technology infrastructure, which includes communications satellites suspended in orbit above the Earth.
One of the key points Marsh raises is the power required for a hacking attempt. A typical wind turbine has an output of one to three million watts, which is significantly less than the estimated power of around five million watts for a 'brute force' attack on a Skynet satellite. To put this into perspective, Marsh compares the power required to the output of a train.
Marsh's calculations also suggest that a significant amount of power would be needed for such an attack. In fact, the estimated power required is comparable to a train's power output. This raises questions about the feasibility of such attacks and the capabilities of hackers.
Marsh has also spoken about a similar story reported in the late 1990s about hackers supposedly accessing the UK military satellite communications network SkyNet and 'nudging' one satellite out of synch. However, the person or organization that doubted the ability level of the allegedly Chinese hackers to alter US government communication satellites is not named in the provided search results.
In the case of the 2008 incident, the hackers took control of Landsat-7 for 12 minutes and Terra AM-1 for 2 minutes. Yet, Marsh points out that jamming a satellite is easy to trace, as every command sent to the satellite gets counted. If a wrong frame is sent to a satellite, a red light will start flashing at RAF Oakingham, according to Marsh.
Marsh estimates that the dish controlling Skynet satellites from RAF Oakingham is approximately seven meters in diameter. This large dish, along with the significant power requirements, further questions the feasibility of hackers taking control of these satellites.
In conclusion, while the threat of satellite hacking is a real concern, questions remain about the capabilities of hackers and the vulnerabilities of our technology infrastructure. Paul Marsh's doubts and calculations add to the ongoing debate and underscore the need for continued research and vigilance in this area.
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