CybserSecurity News

Tag: satellite

  • Hacking Satellites Is Easier Than Ever: Critical Flaws Found in Open-Source Space Software

    At the Black Hat conference in Las Vegas, representatives from VisionSpace Technologies demonstrated that disabling a satellite or altering its trajectory can be achieved far more easily — and at a fraction of the cost — compared to deploying traditional anti-satellite weaponry. All it takes is identifying and exploiting vulnerabilities in the software that controls either the spacecraft itself or the ground stations with which it communicates. Olhava noted that he had previously worked at the European Space Agency, where he repeatedly flagged security flaws in ground station IT infrastructure. When his warnings went unheeded, he decided to pursue the matter independently.

    Over the past two decades, the number of operational satellites has risen from fewer than 1,000 to roughly 12,300, according to ESA data. A significant share belongs to SpaceX’s Starlink constellation, though the number of military platforms has also surged amid growing geopolitical tensions. The falling cost of satellite development and launch has further accelerated this expansion.

    Yet this growth has been shadowed by persistent security shortcomings in satellite control software. One example is the open-source Yamcs system, used by NASA and Airbus for spacecraft communications and operations. Researchers uncovered five CVE-listed vulnerabilities in its code, capable of granting full system control. In a live demonstration, experts showed how to issue a command to fire a satellite’s thrusters and alter its orbit — all without immediately updating the operator’s interface. The test was conducted in a simulator, ensuring no real satellites were harmed.

    The situation proved even more alarming with OpenC3 Cosmos, another open-source platform for ground station-based satellite management. Seven vulnerabilities were identified here, including flaws enabling remote code execution and cross-site scripting attacks. Nor was NASA exempt from these issues: in its open-source Core Flight System (cFS) Aquila, researchers found four critical flaws — two leading to denial-of-service, one path traversal weakness, and one enabling arbitrary remote code execution. Such flaws could cripple onboard software and hand attackers complete control over satellite systems.

    Even the widely used open-source encryption library CryptoLib, deployed aboard many satellites, was not immune. In the NASA-specific version, researchers found four vulnerabilities; in the standard package, seven more were discovered, two of them rated critical. According to Starcik, some of these flaws allow the entire onboard software to crash from a single unauthenticated request, triggering a reboot — and, in misconfigured systems, wiping all encryption keys. In such cases, the satellite becomes fully exposed to further compromise.

    All identified vulnerabilities have been disclosed to developers and patched. However, VisionSpace specialists maintain that entrusting orbital asset control to insecure platforms is a dangerous gamble, warning that other critical flaws may still lurk within the software currently in use.

  • China Achieves Digital Sovereignty in Space: OpenHarmony OS Successfully Tested on Satellite

    China has successfully tested its own operating system in space, marking a significant stride toward reducing dependence on foreign software amid tightening Western sanctions.

    The Dalian-1 Lianli cubesat, deployed from the Chinese space station Tiangong, spent over a thousand hours trialing systems powered by OpenHarmony—an open-source, streamlined variant of Huawei’s HarmonyOS. The operating system demonstrated exceptional efficiency and reliability under the rigors of space, enabling rapid data processing and stable hardware performance. This achievement represents just one example of China’s broader push to cultivate indigenous operating systems and reduce technological reliance on external powers.

    Researchers from Dalian and Xi’an reported that, following the switch to OpenHarmony, the satellite responded more swiftly to commands and tracked its position with greater precision. Three core subsystems—the magnetometer, solar sensor, and orientation unit—functioned flawlessly. Command-response latency was reduced to a mere two microseconds, allowing for far more frequent data updates and significantly enhancing the satellite’s overall performance.

    According to the journal Space: Science and Technology, the new system outperformed prior solutions based on rudimentary firmware or foreign software. It is the first Chinese satellite to integrate both a domestically developed operating system and a homegrown processor, showcasing the nation’s capacity for complete autonomy in managing spacecraft technologies.

    Building on these results, the team led by Professor Yu Xiaozhou at Dalian University of Technology has drafted national standards for the integration of OpenHarmony into small satellites. The system has already begun deployment in both commercial and academic ventures within China.

    Huawei, blacklisted by the U.S. government in 2019, lost access to critical American technologies—an action that compelled China to accelerate the development of homegrown alternatives, including operating systems. Yet, the Chinese tech giant has continued its forward momentum, and recent milestones suggest that sanctions have not curtailed its technological aspirations. Today, the OpenHarmony project is overseen by the OpenAtom Foundation and is gaining traction in satellite and embedded platforms.

    Previously, China had relied on foreign or open-source platforms such as FreeRTOS, which were initially attractive due to the lack of licensing constraints. However, that reliance became burdensome, especially after export controls were imposed on foreign semiconductors. According to Yu, this hampered the growth of the nation’s satellite capabilities. The shift toward domestically engineered technologies reflects a broader strategic vision—one in which China is decisively moving away from its dependence on American software. The creation of a wholly national software-hardware ecosystem now stands as the country’s bold response to this geopolitical challenge.

  • Microsoft announced the satellite network connection for Azure

    How to ensure the smooth network is an important issue in the era when cloud services are becoming more and more important. Most cloud computing providers use multiple redundant backups to deal with network disconnection. Under normal circumstances, if there is an abnormality in the data center of an area, it can automatically switch to other normal areas, and various alternate lines can be called. However, there is still a gap between ideals and reality.

    The dedicated routing network provided by Microsoft Azure cloud computing business has announced access to satellite connections, not because of convenience but to ensure the stable operation of the server. At the same time, the use of satellite network connections can also increase security to prevent hijacking of routes midway, because Microsoft’s private network is completely private route propagation.

    Open Network Emulator

    Microsoft said it has joined several satellite network providers to access Microsoft’s dedicated routing network to provide highly available private access routes for businesses and governments. In terms of access speed, Microsoft claims that by optimizing the satellite link connection, it is now possible to achieve the same speed as the ground fiber connection, and the level of delay is basically the same.

    The guarantee of a high degree of smooth connectivity through satellite networks is the most important advantage, but in addition to dealing with ground network anomalies, there are some important scenarios where satellites can be used. In addition, more and more commercial spacecraft also need to be connected by means of satellite links, which can optimize the network transmission speed and ensure the smooth connection of the network.

    Azure ExpressRoute with satellite connectivity offers the following:

    • Using satellite connectivity with ExpressRoute provides dedicated and highly available, private access directly to Azure and Azure Government clouds.
    • ExpressRoute provides predictable latency through well-connected ground stations, and, as always, maintains all traffic privately on our network – no traversing of the Internet.
    • Customers and partners can harness Microsoft’s global network to rapidly deliver data to where it’s needed or augment routing to best optimize for their specific need.
    • Satellite and a wide selection of service providers will enable rich solution portfolios for cloud and hybrid networking solutions centered around Azure networking services.
    • With some of the world’s leading broadband satellite providers as partners, customers can select the best solution based on their needs. Each of the partners brings different strengths, for example, choices between Geostationary (GEO), Medium Earth Orbit (MEO) and in the future Low Earth Orbit(LEO) satellites, geographical presence, pricing, technology differentiation, bandwidth, and others.
    • ExpressRoute over satellite creates new channels and reach for satellite broadband providers, through a growing base of enterprises, organizations and public sector customers.