RE: Re[2]: [amsat-bb] Any Risk ?

[Tony Langdon <tlangdon@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

>       Hi, Rick, 73.
>       Telemetry  is  not  the  correct  word  to use. I meant to say
>       commands.  Of course the terrestrial stations send commands to
>       the  sats.  But  Bruce  KK5DO  explained  the  matter.  Ground
>       controllers  don't  publish  the frequencies, so to avoid this
>       kind of problem. And they use passwords.

Hmm, hiding frequencies is what's known in the security game as "security
through obscurity" (which roughly translates to "almost no security), and if
the ground stations are known, it may not be too difficult with the
technology available today to find out the frequencies, provided one can get
close enough to the ground station (might be good cause for them being on
large blocks of land!).

>       I'm  wondering  if a cracker really wanted, he could intercept
>       the  commands  sent to the sats, decrypt it, get the password,
>       and transform phase3d into a Citizen Band LEO! God forgive us!
>       hi...  Thanks God there's no CB rigs on it... :)
>       Just kidding, no flames from CBers, please...

I'd say finding the frequency is possible without advance knowledge.  I
don't know anything about the command protocols, so can't comment on their
security.

My bottom line here is we need to be vigilant, within reason.  Fortunately,
99.999% of the people with the capability to "talk" to the bird wouldn't
have any malicious intent (the vast bulk would be us hams working it), but
we should have some provisions, if a "bad apple" does pop up.

Maybe I spend too much time around networks and get a bit paranoid! ;)
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