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US Air Force Space Security Challenge 2020: Hack-a-Sat

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Re: US Air Force Space Security Challenge 2020: Hack-a-Sat

#11
post #10

$14 billion 2020 budget for the USAF space portfolio[1], $50 thousand prize (split between entire team) to reveal detailed procedure to hack the USAF space portfolio. I feel like they should be a bit more generous here. [1] https://www.af.mil/News/Article-Display/Article/1783601/air-...

"Won the Air Force Space Security Challenge" on your resume is basically a license to k̶i̶l̶l̶ name your own salary with any reputable tech company.

Re: US Air Force Space Security Challenge 2020: Hack-a-Sat

#12

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> Are Canadians allowed to participate? How about Russians? What about crypto-anarchists who will never pass a military-type background check? Yes. As long as there's at least one US citizen or permanent resident on your team, and you're not a specially designated national, you're allowed to participate.

>> The Team Leader must be a U.S. citizen, must speak English and will serve as the official technical point of contact for communications with the HAS organizers. So ya, Canadians are allowed but only if the boss is a US citizen. Don't see any resident language. I make the point because some of the best satellite spotters/finders/hackers are Canadians, such Scott Tilley who was recently in the news for finding a lon…

> allowed but only if the boss is a US citizen

official technical point of contact for communications != boss

Re: US Air Force Space Security Challenge 2020: Hack-a-Sat

#14

>>Participants who successfully complete a set of qualification challenges on cybersecurity and space this spring will be invited to the ultimate challenge: to (ethically) hack a satellite. Lol. That is so military public affairs. You are allowed to hack a satellite after being vetted and approved by government. Are Canadians allowed to participate? How about Russians? What about crypto-anarchists who will never pass…

> the one operating on 60 GHz so that it cannot be heard from the ground directly

Isn't that the same frequency for ground-based 5G mmWave?

Re: US Air Force Space Security Challenge 2020: Hack-a-Sat

#15

>>Participants who successfully complete a set of qualification challenges on cybersecurity and space this spring will be invited to the ultimate challenge: to (ethically) hack a satellite. Lol. That is so military public affairs. You are allowed to hack a satellite after being vetted and approved by government. Are Canadians allowed to participate? How about Russians? What about crypto-anarchists who will never pass…

[deleted]

Re: US Air Force Space Security Challenge 2020: Hack-a-Sat

#16

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> Are Canadians allowed to participate? How about Russians? What about crypto-anarchists who will never pass a military-type background check? Yes. As long as there's at least one US citizen or permanent resident on your team, and you're not a specially designated national, you're allowed to participate.

>> The Team Leader must be a U.S. citizen, must speak English and will serve as the official technical point of contact for communications with the HAS organizers. So ya, Canadians are allowed but only if the boss is a US citizen. Don't see any resident language. I make the point because some of the best satellite spotters/finders/hackers are Canadians, such Scott Tilley who was recently in the news for finding a lon…

[deleted]

Re: US Air Force Space Security Challenge 2020: Hack-a-Sat

#17

>>Participants who successfully complete a set of qualification challenges on cybersecurity and space this spring will be invited to the ultimate challenge: to (ethically) hack a satellite. Lol. That is so military public affairs. You are allowed to hack a satellite after being vetted and approved by government. Are Canadians allowed to participate? How about Russians? What about crypto-anarchists who will never pass…

> the one operating on 60 GHz so that it cannot be heard from the ground directly Isn't that the same frequency for ground-based 5G mmWave?

Yes. It is absorbed by moisture in the atmosphere. That limits its range, which is great if you want to setup lots of cellular towers without them interfering with each other. If 5g used a frequency that wasn't absorbed, individual towers would have to be much further apart, increasing "cell" size and limiting available bandwidth.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Extremely_high_frequency

Re: US Air Force Space Security Challenge 2020: Hack-a-Sat

#18

>>Participants who successfully complete a set of qualification challenges on cybersecurity and space this spring will be invited to the ultimate challenge: to (ethically) hack a satellite. Lol. That is so military public affairs. You are allowed to hack a satellite after being vetted and approved by government. Are Canadians allowed to participate? How about Russians? What about crypto-anarchists who will never pass…

>Which rockets it’s on ?

It’s kinda dangerous as you might know rockets and missiles operate on the same principles ?

They both have a guidance system that decide where to land or not land.

It just that rockets don’t have a warhead.

Re: US Air Force Space Security Challenge 2020: Hack-a-Sat

#19

My work focuses primarily on consumer application development, however cybersecurity and CTF challenges like this have always been an interest. What specific technical skills are required to successfully complete challenges like this?

For starters, have you participated in a ctf before?

Re: US Air Force Space Security Challenge 2020: Hack-a-Sat

#20

Earlier quoted context omitted.

>> The Team Leader must be a U.S. citizen, must speak English and will serve as the official technical point of contact for communications with the HAS organizers. So ya, Canadians are allowed but only if the boss is a US citizen. Don't see any resident language. I make the point because some of the best satellite spotters/finders/hackers are Canadians, such Scott Tilley who was recently in the news for finding a lon…

> allowed but only if the boss is a US citizen official technical point of contact for communications != boss

I'd argue that "Team Leader" means "boss," though.
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