But wait, it gets worse! Cybersecurity company IOActive said the satellite communication (SATCOM) used by airplanes, ships and military units had vulnerabilities that could be hacked by anyone on the internet. They could not affect an airplane’s control systems, but as well as modifying or disabling SATCOM, the hackers could reveal the positions of military units, said IOActive head Ruben Santamarta. The attack was carried out in a way to make it difficult for people to detect it, he said. Complete replacement would be necessary. IOActive said it was working with vendors and government agencies to try to find solutions.
Cybersecurity company IOActive said the satellite communication (SATCOM) used by airplanes, ships and military units had vulnerabilities that could be hacked by anyone on the internet. They could not affect an airplane’s control systems, but as well as modifying or disabling SATCOM, the hackers could reveal the positions of military units, said IOActive head Ruben Santamarta. The attack was carried out in a way to make it difficult for people to detect it, he said. Complete replacement would be necessary. IOActive said it was working with vendors and government agencies to try to find solutions.