"No Way to Make Money..." The Mystery of the US Observatory Hacking

Two US-Owned State-of-the-Art Observatories
Nearly a Month Needed for Damage Recovery
Hacker Identity and Motive Still Unknown

Two state-of-the-art observatories owned by the U.S. government, located in Hawaii and Chile, have effectively been shut down. This is due to delays in system recovery following a hacking attack by an unidentified hacker. Authorities are currently investigating who attempted the hack and for what purpose.

The U.S. space science publication Space.com reported on the 29th (local time) that the operational delays at the Gemini North Observatory in Hawaii and the Gemini South Observatory in Chile are becoming increasingly prolonged.

Both observatories are space research facilities under the U.S. National Science Foundation (NSF). They have been observing the universe in visible light and infrared, respectively. These large-scale facilities feature telescopes with an aperture of 8.1 meters, allowing observation of the solar system as well as distant stars, galaxies, and black holes, making them critically important for astronomical research.

However, the Gemini Observatories suffered a hacking incident on the 1st of this month. Hackers infiltrated the computer system network of the research institute operating the two observatories, forcing the institute to suspend operations at both sites.

Two Gemini Observatory facilities operated by the United States. A notice states that operations have been suspended due to hacking damage since the 1st. [Image source=Gemini Observatory official website]

Additionally, on the 9th, to prevent further spread of the damage, the network systems of other observatories connected to the Gemini Observatories were also shut down. After the incident was somewhat contained, the institute began system recovery but has yet to fully restart the Gemini Observatories. The institute told the media, "The investigation is still ongoing," and added, "It is difficult to disclose the findings to the public."

Space.com also expressed doubts about why an unknown hacker would specifically target observatories. While these observatories are equipped with advanced scientific instruments, they operate solely for public research purposes, so there is no expectation of financial gain.

Regarding this, the media speculated that the hacker might have attempted the attack not for profit but to damage the United States' advanced space science technology.

In fact, hacking attempts targeting U.S. space infrastructure have been steadily increasing recently. The U.S. National Counterintelligence and Security Center (NCSC) pointed out in a recent report that "as society's dependence on space-based assets for critical infrastructure grows, their importance to the U.S. economy and national security is increasing." This means foreign intelligence agencies could target space communication facilities, surveillance, and observation facilities for attacks.

In 2021, NASA was targeted by a large hacker group. Space.com emphasized, "These warnings come at a time when the U.S. space economy is expected to reach $1 trillion (approximately 1,320 trillion KRW) by 2030."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.