DoD and Air Force host virtual “Hack-a-Sat” challenge

The U.S. Department of the Air Force and Department of Defense are hosting a virtual event for cybersecurity professionals on securing space systems.

The Space Security Challenge 2020, which will run Aug. 7-9, features a mixture of virtual workshops and prize challenges along with a live capture-the-flag (CTF) style satellite hacking competition dubbed “Hack-A-Sat.”

“We are excited about this year’s Hack-a-Sat Challenge at DEF CON Safe Mode,” Dr. Will Roper, assistant secretary of the Air Force for acquisition, technology, and logistic, said. “Space is an increasingly important contributor to global economies and security. Letting experts hack an orbiting satellite will teach us how to build more secure systems in the future.”

The event is open to all those in the global security research community. The virtual workshops are intended to generate burgeoning interest across the aerospace security domain. Also, several aerospace cybersecurity workshops offer virtual hands-on learning to improve the security, safety, and resilience of space systems.

The CTF competition will challenge some of the world’s most skilled hacking teams to test their skills at hacking a government satellite system. More than 2,000 teams competed back in May in the CTF Qualification Event. Eight teams have been invited to the Hack-A-Sat final event where they will be challenged to reverse engineer and operate satellite systems to earn “flags,” or binary codes.

The workshops and competition are designed to help the DoD and Air Force to learn from the community and change how space systems are acquired, secured, and integrated. The DoD does not condone hacking for malicious gain.

Spectators and researchers looking to immerse themselves in the Hack-A-Sat contest and learn more about the challenges of cybersecurity in space are invited to visit hackasat.com to access the 3D Hackers’ Den experience.