Chinese Hackers Hit Satellite, Defense Companies

Cybersecurity firm Symantec warned this week that a sophisticated hacking campaign that may have originated from China has hit satellite operators, defense contractors and telecommunications companies in the US and Southeast Asia.

The hackers, which seem to be motivated by national espionage goals, were reportedly able to take control of satellites used for controlling data traffic critical to phone and internet services.

Vikram Thakur, technical director at Symantec, said that the hacking efforts may have been carried out by a group called Thrip which was active in 2013, but then vanished for a year until this latest attack. He added that real world disruptions may occur if anything should happen to the satellites.  

Source: Reuters