Michael Flinn - Slashdot User

Comment Re:Heh (Score 1) 473

by Michael Flinn on Sunday August 05, 2018 @11:56AM (#57073456) Attached to: Do Businesses Really Need to Hire CS Majors?

SE is like an EE or CE or other E, but for software- an SE is not like an architect. On any large building project, you have a lead engineer, the person that says what the architects have planned is possible.

Comment Get educated about embedded systems please! (Score 1) 199

by Michael Flinn on Monday April 23, 2018 @10:43PM (#56492193) Attached to: Hacking a Satellite is Surprisingly Easy

These have embedded systems in them, not a general-purpose operating system such as Windows 95 or any other OTS OS. Each satellite has a custom built and configured embedded system. While it may have a foundation of an older system, it is unique. This is why individuals need to educate themselves by supplementing their reading with a few books from experts in their field. People that built these things! As one individual pointed out, Win9x came out well after many of the GPS satellites were launched. Scarry enough as this may be - ATMs used to run OTS Windows 9x. They have since all wised up.... and again, use a customized system.

Hacking a Satellite is Surprisingly Easy (theoutline.com) 199

Posted by msmash on Monday April 23, 2018 @01:50PM from the security-woes dept.

Caroline Haskins, writing for The Outline: Hundreds of multi-ton liabilities -- soaring faster than the speed of sound, miles above the surface of the earth -- are operating on Windows-95. They're satellites, responsible for everything from GPS positioning, to taking weather measurements, to carrying cell signals, to providing television and internet. For the countries that own these satellites, they're invaluable resources. Even though they're old, it's more expensive to take satellites down than it is to just leave them up. So they stay up. Unfortunately, these outdated systems makes old satellites prime targets for cyber attacks. [...]

A malicious actor could fake their IP address, which gives information about a user's computer and its location. This person could then get access to the satellite's computer system, and manipulate where the satellite goes or what it does. Alternatively, an actor could jam the satellite's radio transmissions with earth, essentially disabling it. The cost of such an attack could be huge. If a satellite doesn't work, life-saving GPS or online information could be withheld to people on earth when they need it most. What's worse, if part of a satellite -- or an entire satellite -- is knocked out of its orbit from an attack, the debris could create a domino effect and cause extreme damage to other satellites.

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