Hackers disabled 2 of the most modern telescopes in the world
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Some of the world’s leading astronomical observatories have reported cyberattacks that have led to temporary shutdowns. This is reported by Space. The National Science Foundation’s National Optical-Infrared Astronomy Research Laboratory (NOIRLab) noted that the hacker attack occurred on August 1, 2023. The incident forced the lab to temporarily shut down its Gemini North Telescope in Hawaii and the Gemini South Telescope in Chile. Other, smaller telescopes at Cerro Tololo in Chile were also affected. Photo: NOIRLab “Our staff is working with cybersecurity experts to restore all affected telescopes and our website as soon as possible, and we are pleased with the progress so far,” NOIRLab said in a statement. It is not clear what exactly the nature of the cyberattacks was and where they came from. NOIRLab notes that because the investigation is still ongoing, the organization will be careful with the information it provides about the intrusion. The cyberattacks on NOIRLab facilities came just days before the US National Counterintelligence and Security Center (NCSC) issued a bulletin informing US 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 said. This is not the first time that astronomical observatories have become targets of cyberattacks. In October 2022, hackers disrupted the Atacama Large Millimeter/Submillimeter Array (ALMA) in Chile, and NASA has been under cyberattacks for years. In 2021, the agency was hit by the worldwide SolarWinds hack, which NASA officials called a “major wake-up call” for cybersecurity. Read also: The Webb telescope showed the Ring Nebula. PHOTO
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