HACKSAT
Abstract
Satellite systems are no longer exclusive to nation-states. With the rise of commercial space, CubeSats, private launch vehicles, and ground-segment virtualization, the attack surface of the space ecosystem has expanded dramatically. Yet, hands-on offensive security research in this domain remains inaccessible to most due to cost, complexity, and the lack of realistic lab environments.
Hack Sat is a purpose-built satellite cybersecurity playground designed to bridge this gap. It provides a modular, affordable, and realistic testbed for offensive security research against satellite communication systems, including ground stations, RF links, and onboard firmware. The platform simulates real-world satellite architectures using SDR-based RF emulation, GNSS spoofing modules, and embedded telemetry processors.
Participants will observe and execute practical attack scenarios including RF replay, signal manipulation, protocol abuse, insecure telemetry exposure, ground station compromise paths, firmware extraction, and command injection over simulated uplinks.
Hack Sat transforms satellite security from a theoretical discussion into a live offensive playground—lowering the barrier to entry while raising awareness of space system vulnerabilities.