Evidence on China hacking of US satellites still inconclusive

As the U.S. considers its cyber offense options in the wake of charges that Russia and China have hacked and stolen data from U.S. companies and institutions, an investigation is underway into the culprits behind a satellite anomaly. In 2007 and 2008, the Landsat-7 and Terra AM-1 satellites were interfered with from a Norway ground station. Such access could be used to destroy spacecraft and severely cripple military and intelligence communications capabilities.  China has continually responded defensively to claims of cyber espionage, asserting that it is being villified out of envy for its success by a US suffering from economic woes. The military has stated it cannot conclusively prove that China was the culprit, despite the techniques used to interfere with the satellites bearing a strong resemblance to known Chinese military writings.

 

SOURCE: Reuters