This student discovered that satellite security isn’t as stable as one may expect. So he decided to hack one.

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Satellites are used for a wide variety of activities that most of us don't even recognize. From mobile phone networks to GPS capabilities, to a variety of IoT devices and operation of electrical grids, satellites are in control. Our global interconnectedness is deeply dependent on satellites — and they aren't as secure as we might expect them to be.

An exploitation of satellites’ weaknesses by hackers is not only possible, it’s probable. The US Air Force held a virtual version of the annual competition in 2020 at DEF CON, challenging hackers to reverse-engineer ground-based and on-orbit satellite system components to expose planted “flags” — or vulnerable software codes.

The idea is that the best defense can result in proactive offense. For researchers like James Pavur, a Rhodes Scholar and PhD candidate at Oxford University who focuses on satellite…