US EditionBillions of Calls Exposed Via Unencrypted Satellites
A team of six academics found that unencrypted satellite broadcasts expose sensitive military, corporate, and personal data to anyone with consumer-grade equipment, affecting over 2,700 users in one session.
- On Monday, a team of six academics from the University of Maryland and the University of California published a paper finding geosynchronous satellites broadcast sensitive data unencrypted, interceptable with about $600 of equipment after a three-year study from a San Diego university roof observing 39 satellites.
- Cost barriers have left many satellite links unencrypted, the team said, as encryption is often too costly for remote/off‑grid receivers and no single stakeholder manages GEO satellite communications.
- During a nine‑hour recording session, they observed US calls, texts, in‑flight Wi‑Fi, utility infrastructure traffic, military and law enforcement communications, and unencrypted vessel data, using a $180 satellite dish, $195 motor, and $230 tuner card.
- After notifying affected companies, the researchers found rescans showed T‑Mobile, Walmart and KPU had deployed fixes, but details on other affected providers remain withheld.
- With agencies likely exploiting links, researchers will publish `Don't Look Up` on Github, warning `These signals are just being broadcast to over 40 percent of the Earth at any point in time`.
39 Articles
39 Articles
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Researchers find a startlingly cheap way to steal your secrets from space
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Satellites Are Leaking the World’s Secrets - WhoWhatWhy
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Satellites Have Been Leaking Sensitive Data From T-Mobile and Others, Research Reveals
Calls, texts and information from military and corporate accounts were exposed and unencrypted, according to a report. T-Mobile has since fixed the problem, but others have not.
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