Malicious software “attacked” the computers of the International Space Station – The crew member who “brought” it into space connected his personal USB stick to the ISS equipment
Malware has managed to reach the computers of the International Space Station (ISS), causing “epidemics” in space, said Eugene Kaspersky, head of the well-known computer security software company Kaspersky Labs.
Specifically, Mr. Kaspersky said that “various viruses can infect the ISS from time to time,” but in this case he could not calculate the scale of the disaster. He added that the threat of a virus spreading to the ISS software is huge, even when the system is disconnected from the Internet.
Speaking at the Press Club 2013 in Canberra, Australia, to journalists on IT security, Mr. Kaspersky said that, before the ISS computers were switched from Windows XP to Linux, Russian cosmonauts had brought USB storage devices to the station, which resulted in viruses being transmitted to the space station computers.
The International Space Station (ISS) is in orbit 220 miles above Earth, and it’s pretty… scary how cyberattacks can damage computers even there!
“Cosmonauts often carry USB sticks, which may be carrying malware, without their knowledge,” said Eugene Kaspersky.
Mr. Kaspersky did not provide details about the problems caused by the installation of the virus in the International Space Station software, but according to him, the “epidemic” seriously affected the computers on the ISS, which included several laptops.
Eugene Kaspersky also mentioned at the Press Club 2013 similar cases in the past, when viruses infected the ISS. In 2008, laptops located on the International Space Station were infected with the W32.Gammima.AG virus, as an astronaut had brought an infected computer, resulting in the spread of the malware to other systems. Gammima.AG was first detected on Earth in August 2007, infecting computers with the aim of stealing usernames for popular online games in the Far East. As a NASA spokesman said at the time, this is not a common occurrence, “but it is not the first time.”
Mr. Kaspersky noted another example, regarding the famous “Stuxnet” virus that “attacked” a nuclear power plant in Russia and caused serious damage to the plant’s internal structure. The “Stuxnet” worm, detected in June 2010, made known the reality of the risk associated with cybercrime. Specifically, “Stuxnet” was believed to be designed to attack equipment at the Bushehr nuclear power plant in Iran. Mr. Kaspersky warned of the consequences of the spread of viruses such as “Stuxnet.”
It is worth noting that the security of the station's computers was also one of the reasons for the transition to Linux software, as well as the need for stability and reliability of the operating systems. The computers on the ISS are not directly connected to the internet, but they can access it via a satellite data link. According to NASA, they are not part of the station's command and control network.
Source: protothema.gr
