Japan’s space agency was hit with a cyberattack, but the information the hackers accessed did not include anything important for rocket and satellite operations, a spokesperson said on Wednesday. According to sources close to the matter, the hacking attempt was made on a central server, Active Directory, that manages the agency’s network. JAXA was unaware of the possibility of unauthorized access until this autumn when police notified them, the sources added.
The agency is working to confirm the extent of the hacking and any data leaks. However, according to the sources, it does not fear the loss of sensitive information on space-related technologies. It also seeks to identify the hacking route and any vulnerabilities in its security systems.
While JAXA’s leading network is not connected to the directory, its system is linked to networks, such as those used by researchers and companies that use the agency’s facilities. The hacking attempt on the central server is thought to have been based on a vulnerability of network equipment that a manufacturer recently disclosed, the JAXA spokesperson said.
JAXA has suffered cyberattacks in the past. It was among roughly 200 companies and research institutes hacked in 2016 and 2017, which was believed to be the work of a Chinese espionage group. It took until April 2021 for Japanese authorities to charge a Chinese national over the attack, and he was cleared of any wrongdoing last month.
There are concerns that the resulting damage would be more severe if JAXA’s system were to be attacked again. The agency’s website went offline for more than a week after the 2016 hacking, and it was only restored after the site had been rebuilt from scratch.
A cyberattack on a server connected to a satellite is more severe because it could potentially result in a disruption of the service provided by the satellite. Most modern services, from crop monitoring to global internet coverage, rely on satellite infrastructure. For example, the best-known satellite in use is the US-owned and license-free Global Navigation Satellite Systems (GNSS) known as GPS, which provides critical location information for everything from car navigation to smartphones.
It is increasingly difficult to safeguard such off-planet technological achievements, and the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency incident serves as a reminder that robust digital fortifications are essential. The case should also prompt government agencies to boost their budgets to improve their defenses against cyber attacks. They add that hacking a central server may have allowed the perpetrators to gain insight into the work being done at other locations. Such knowledge is valuable to countries that are competing with each other in the race to develop futuristic technologies. According to the experts, they can also use it as a weapon against their rivals. They say that such information is often used to sway public opinion, support government policies, and influence scientific research’s direction.
