Houston, We Have a Problem: Analyzing the Security of Low Earth Orbit Satellites
summary
Analyzes three real LEO satellites, successfully compromising two: a university 3U CubeSat via a memcpy telecommand allowing arbitrary memory writes and an ESA research satellite via a stack buffer overflow leading to remote code execution in an ADCS service. Builds an AVR32 emulation and reproduces the payload, patches live firmware in emulation to add a password and lock operators out, demonstrates lack of encryption/auth, no ASLR/NX/stack cookies, and reports that small sats often ship with custom, insecure protocols.
AI-written summary · about
chapters (18)
- 0:00Satellite security research intro
- 1:05Satellites importance and uses
- 2:07Satellite orbits overview
- 3:51Talk overview and focus
- 4:54Firmware vs ground breaches
- 5:55Satellite inaccessibility myth
- 7:00Security through obscurity
- 8:02Attacker goals and components
- 10:09Telecommands and telemetry
- 11:11Firmware control pathways
- 12:56ESA CubeSat vulnerabilities
- 16:30UPSat protocol flaws
- 23:28Live satellite exploitation demo
- 26:00Flying Laptop analysis
- 27:24Satellite protocol security survey
- 30:14Satellite compromise consequences
- 32:16Key findings recap
- 33:26Q&A
related talks
10mShort: Unencrypted Flying Objects: Security Lessons from University Small...
46mSecuring Space: The Next Frontier for Security Engineers
44mAn Introduction to Cybersecurity in Space
39mHack the Sky: Exploring Satellite Vulnerabilities and Cyber Threats
48mSATCOM Terminals: Hacking by Air, Sea, and Land
43mThe Birdman: Hacking Cospas-Sarsat Satellites
31mSatellite Communications: Analyzing & Protecting Space-Based Assets
01h 06mHacking and Securing C++