Hackers Shut Down 2 of the World's Most Advanced Telescopes (space.com) 36
Some of the world's leading astronomical observatories have reported cyberattacks that have resulted in temporary shutdowns. Space.com reports: The National Science Foundation's National Optical-Infrared Astronomy Research Laboratory, or NOIRLab, reported that a cybersecurity incident that occurred on Aug. 1 has prompted the lab to temporarily halt operations at its Gemini North Telescope in Hawaii and Gemini South Telescope in Chile. Other, smaller telescopes on Cerro Tololo in Chile were also affected. "Our staff are working with cybersecurity experts to get all the impacted telescopes and our website back online as soon as possible and are encouraged by the progress made thus far," NOIRLab wrote in a statement on its website on Aug. 24.
It's unclear exactly what the nature of the cyberattacks were or from where they originated. NOIRLab points out that because the investigation is still ongoing, the organization will be cautious about what information it shares about the intrusions. The cyberattacks on NOIRLab's facilities occurred just days before the United States National Counterintelligence and Security Center (NCSC) issued a bulletin (PDF) advising American space companies and research organizations about the threat of cyberattacks and espionage.
Foreign spies and hackers "recognize the importance of the commercial space industry to the U.S. economy and national security, including the growing dependence of critical infrastructure on space-based assets," the bulletin stated. "They see US space-related innovation and assets as potential threats as well as valuable opportunities to acquire vital technologies and expertise."
It's unclear exactly what the nature of the cyberattacks were or from where they originated. NOIRLab points out that because the investigation is still ongoing, the organization will be cautious about what information it shares about the intrusions. The cyberattacks on NOIRLab's facilities occurred just days before the United States National Counterintelligence and Security Center (NCSC) issued a bulletin (PDF) advising American space companies and research organizations about the threat of cyberattacks and espionage.
Foreign spies and hackers "recognize the importance of the commercial space industry to the U.S. economy and national security, including the growing dependence of critical infrastructure on space-based assets," the bulletin stated. "They see US space-related innovation and assets as potential threats as well as valuable opportunities to acquire vital technologies and expertise."
Ewww (Score:3)
What a heinous and decidedly uncool attack. These scumbags are giving innocent hackers a bad name.
Re: (Score:2)
"innocent hackers"
Oxymoron. If you break into someone else machine you're committing a crime even if you do nothing just as if you break into someones house but don't steal anything.
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In Britain, it's illegal to hack into someone else's computer, but AFAIK it is not an offence to merely gain entry to someone else's property provided there's no breaking and entering. So your example wouldn't really work here.
Re: Ewww (Score:3)
Then you don't understand case law.
Breaking and entering - crossing the threshold counts in many jurisdictions around the world.
You don't have to jimmy the lock or break a window.
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Really. So Britain has no trespassing laws? Interesting,
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We do , he's talking crap. The only time its not trespass is if there's a public right of way across the land.
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Scotland has never had trespass laws.
Britain had no trespass laws between the Kinder Scout Mass Trespass and the raver party in a farmer's field that couldn't be removed because there was no law of trespass. It has since been tightened, but there's still very little actual law of trespass and most of it is dodgy enough (see the recent Dartmoor escapade) that it is being thrown out.
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At this point there are so many laws on the books and so much discretion intentionally coded into them, not to mention that can be spun into them that we are all committing crimes left and right just going about our lives in good faith.
Committing a crime to prevent a greater crime or injustice entitles a party to an affirmative defense. Civil disobedience is a strongly held form of protest which can and does in many cases preempt other application of the law. Most importantly, the enforcement of law is noth
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"when the authority lacks the consent of the governed."
What do you propose, a referendum each time the police want to arrest someone?
Clearly you don't understand how representative democracy works, I suggest you do some research and educate yourself.
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I know exactly how it works. In particular in the United States.
All state authority is derived via the Constitution by which the people consent to be governed. Representative vs direct democracy is a seperate issue. As soon as they breached that agreement they stopped being representatives or having authority to pass/enforce laws or administer elections.
The last I checked there is exactly zero constitutional authority delegated to any portion of the state or representative to govern the internet in any case
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Given your constitution was written in the 18th century it would be surprising if it did mention the internet. I find it amusing people like you still cling onto it 250 years later without accepting that times change and laws change. But then IME a lot of americans are living in a wild west fantasy land in their heads and in your case you clearly have some issue with authority. Was mummy, daddy or teacher mean to you and you still haven't got over it? Diddums.
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"Given your constitution was written in the 18th century it would be surprising if it did mention the internet. I find it amusing people like you still cling onto it 250 years later without accepting that times change and laws change."
Yes times and laws change but the Constitution is the law, the highest law, and it can be amended to account for the times and hasn't been amended to grant congress authority to legislate the internet. They can't simply give themselves new power at will you know, we don't have
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Also, it is worth mentioning that a hacker is someone who breaks apart systems to learn and master how they work or someone who produces clever/sophisticated implementations [usually the same people who do the one, do the other]. There are security hackers who crack systems, with and without permission, but equating cracking systems/software with hacking is an artifact of ignorant reporting and officials in the 90's.
Stick it to the man! (Score:4, Insightful)
Re:Stick it to the man! (Score:4, Informative)
At least this is usually how it goes in these documentaries...
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Honestly, the fact the fact they took down a website indicates to me its either shitty teenagers hackers just vandalizing things for "lulz" like they've always done or its indiscriminate worm/virus damage.
This doesnt smell like the word of spooky government/military types.
mixing apples/oranges... (Score:2)
...to try and make the attack appear more critical than it is.
Yes, the US space industry is critically important to the US & other economies but that doesn't mean that _these_ attacks imperil anything more that the researcher's data, grants and workload. It's not like they interrupted service to Sats like the ruSSian attacks on the terminals Ukraine was using at the start of putler's war.
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that doesn't mean that _these_ attacks imperil anything more that the researcher's data, grants and workload.
Right, which makes it really difficult to give a shit, especially when you just know they are running some dumbass Windows thing anyhow.
Only China, Russia, and NK are that petulant. (Score:3)
Re: Only China, Russia, and NK are that petulant. (Score:2)
Cos you don't like them?
Anyways, this doesn't look like an APT attack and there's assholes across the planet.
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Obviously that doesn't mean they did it, but the nature of it doesn't sound much like a teenager defacing a webpage, a savant having a look-see, or a scam ring looking for card numbers. Also doesn't sound like anyone with an actual political agenda, since it's such a bitch move. That leaves the extra-cunty flavor of state-sponsorship.
Thank You Captain Hindsight! (Score:1)
The cyberattacks on NOIRLab's facilities occurred just days before the United States National Counterintelligence and Security Center (NCSC) issued a bulletin (PDF) advising American space companies and research organizations about the threat of cyberattacks and espionage.
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Sure, because when a bad thing happens to one person we never issue a warning to everyone else that could also fall victim.
T-T (Score:2)
FTFA (Score:2)
So they had a "big wake-up call" and then apparently ignored it? What's the matter, kept hitting snooze?
Oh, please... let it not be flat earthers (Score:2)
Up until now I look at flat earthers as the gold standard for being a reasonable fringe group. It's fun, they don't bother anybody, nobody gets shot, and they're mostly compatible with the world at large. If even a few of them become fringe activists and do stupid shit like attacking a target for no other reason than ideology, then they lose that special status in my mind.
The only reason to attack a telescope is because you're a stupid prick.
Aliens (Score:2)
The Aliens are getting edgy about our looking at them too much. You know, that piercing male, er I mean human, stare.
telescope (Score:2)
It was aliens (Score:2)
We were getting too close to spotting their secret base so they had to shut us down.
wait...what? (Score:2)
"World's Most Advanced" and "hooked to the internet" do not go together. NOTHING that is critically important, very rare/valuable, etc should EVER be hooked to the planet's biggest fire hose of porn, identity theft, fraud, piracy, conspiracy lunatics, etc. If it was hooked to the internet, then either it was run by feckless fools, or it isn't/wasn't all that important.