The US military has actually arranged the Hack-A-Sat 4 competitors to happen during the yearly Defcon hacker convention in August. The objective of the entrants is to take control of a satellite in orbit around the Earth.
8 hacker groups from the US, Australia, Italy, Poland and Germany emerged from the April qualifiers, where more than 380 groups registered. If all goes according to plan, the hackers will complete in Las Vegas throughout Defcon, reports Newsweek. The participants are so-called “white-hat” hackers who participate in ethical hacking, assaulting systems on behalf of their owners to recognize different security defects.
The competition is organized by the United States Air Force Research Laboratory. On previous events, the target has actually been a satellite that has stayed down here on Earth, but this year the contestants will target an orbiting satellite.
The satellite that the hackers are targeting is called Moonlighter, and is developed to be susceptible to hacker attacks. Controllers will also be able to reboot the satellite’s system and kick out any burglars if required.
