Satellite Hacking...

'ello all!

I was just over at Slashdot.org, and I saw a posting on their Ask Slashdot forum about securing communications with satellites (as in the ones in orbit around the Earth). I found that it was a very interesting prospect, and I never really thought about the security of a satellite before, but if someone had the high gain antennas necessary to reach the satellites, what is to keep them from getting taken over?

Either way, I just thought it was very interesting, and I would say it'd be quite a bit harder to secure satellite communications than it would to secure an Win 2k IIS box.

Regards,
Wizeman

Heh, reading this post reminded me of the movie "McHale's Navy." Watch it and you will understand. ;) :p

If you are interested in cracking satellites you should start with DSS satellites (Satellite TV Satellites), it can be done fairly cheap however you will need a DSS receiver, a card reprogrammer and some other stuff. Plenty of information is on the net

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Originally posted by DigitalEnigma
If you are interested in cracking satellites you should start with DSS satellites (Satellite TV Satellites), it can be done fairly cheap however you will need a DSS receiver, a card reprogrammer and some other stuff. Plenty of information is on the net

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I don't believe this is the gist of his post.

He's talking about the physical satallites themselves, not a receiver here on earth.

It's an intersting prospect, hacking the actual satellite. I think some european hackers did that a couple of years ago and moved the satellites. I think they were pager satellites, and a lot of folks lost communications for a couple of days. I could be remembering wrong though.

Also I think they hacked a ground communications network to get to the satellites.



El Diablo

El Diablo: Thank you for clarifying my post.

I certainly am not looking to actually hack any satellites, and especially not a direct TV system. I merely thought that this shows a part of hacking/computer security that many people don't think of in today's "Hack IIS" world.

Regards,
Wizeman

The password for Bell Express VU is echostar

if you have express vu just hit info button on the remote and it should tell you the card information and its on the bottem there.

I heard that you can even get a box off the internet that automates the hole process:D

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Wiseman:
... I never really thought about the security of a satellite before, but if someone had the high gain antennas necessary to reach the satellites, what is to keep them from getting taken over?

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The Americans are very touchy about satellites, they classify them as 'military hardware' even the commercial ones. I would imagine it would be very difficult to "taken over" a satellite.

Are you talking about physically controlling one, as in steering it like a guided missile or "taken over" as in having access to the data that passes through it?

I don't know about flying/piloting a satellite but it's all done though telemetry control between earth and the satellite i.e. a feedback loop that keeps the satellite in the correct position. The data side is all done through something called the NOCC which is responsible for stuff like admission control, so control the NOCC and you control the data!

Okay that's enough from me, the M.I.B.'s at the Pentagon probably don't like anyone saying *cough* Satellite ;)

btw the bandwidth of them *cough* *cough* *cough* is unbelievably high (the new ones) and as the saying goes "Knowledge is Power" or Data in this case.

PZ :D

hmmm..

well u need few things if u wanna take over the satelite...

1. Powerful antena so you can match their frequency (which is damn high)

2. The correct Software to run it...

3. The commands to the sattelite (which is not documented on the net..)

4. Something to scramble your signal when someone is trying to trace you..

those are roughly the basics you need...

and i only have Number 4.. hahaha

Anyone got any articles on a satellite hack except this denied one? I mean something more solid than rumours, hearsay and old memories..

if i were you i start with looking for the control station of the satellite and begin from there its gone to cost too much to you build a antena thats reach the satellite frequency

just try to hack into the system of the pc in the control room of the satellite and them make some damage or just do what you want

If I have hack into a satalite system i would use a good decocryter to break into the system

why would oyu honestly wanna do this? the only satelite id eve r hack would be a toshiba pro laptop, you really should think before you make these posts, if anything was to happen to that sat. this post which is already prolly being watched would be looked over and youd be in some deep ****, im not saying to stop being curiouse or wanting to learn im jusrt saying think first and theres better targets to learn from (for example your own systems)

The whole post is definitely an interesting topic. I hope the .gov takes notice of that... I hope they're not relying on "security by obscurity". 'cause someone... somewhere... when it counts most... will think of screwing with those satellites... and with all the radio controlled planes, etc. we have in the .mil now, that's very important to retain control of those satellites. It'd be great fun to learn about them and help the .mil keep em locked down from unauthroized use, but I'm not the type to go through boot camp. :D