Editor's Note: The following report is excerpted from Joseph Farah's G2 Bulletin, the premium online newsletter published by the founder of WND. Subscriptions are $99 a year or, for monthly trials, just $9.95 per month for credit card users, and provide instant access for the complete reports.
Paul Martin, the NASA inspector general, is reporting NASA's computer network was so vulnerable to cyber attack that computer hackers could take control of a spacecraft while in flight, according to a report from Joseph Farah's G2 Bulletin.
In part, the report states, "We found that computer servers on NASA's agency-wide mission network had high-risk vulnerabilities that were exploitable from the Internet. Specifically, six computer servers associated with IT assets that control spacecraft and contain critical data had vulnerabilities that would allow a remote attacker to take control of or render them unavailable."
These weaknesses could have a "catastrophic" effect on NASA operations, his report explains.
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"The threat to NASA's computer networks from Internet-based intrusions is tangible and expanding in both scope and frequency."
In order for NASA to communicate with its spacecraft and outside agencies, the agency must be connected to the Internet. NASA uses protective barriers, called firewalls, to control access to the network. A firewall is a piece of software, usually running on its own machine, which examines data passing through it to make sure only authorized data is permitted to pass.
However, firewalls are only as effective as the rules IT professionals define for them. Firewall rules that allow unrestricted access from the Internet to computers on NASA's networks are pathways attackers can use to identify and exploit vulnerabilities on these networks, analysts noted.
These pathways are so complex that not all the unauthorized access may be stopped, and this is what is called a vulnerability. Networks with this type of vulnerability are prime targets for exploitation and are highly sought after by hackers.
The implications of penetrations into NASA's network are staggering. NASA's network consists of 190 interlinked computer systems and is widely distributed throughout the United States.
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