The Air Force is again holding its annual “Space Security Challenge” where they invite you to hack into a satellite to test their cybersecurity measures. There are actually two events. In the first one, $150,000 is up for grabs in ten prizes and the final event offers a $100,000 purse divided among the three top participants (first place takes $50,000).
Before you get too excited, you or your team has to first qualify online. The qualification event will be over two days starting May 22. The qualifying event is set up a bit like the TV show Jeopardy. There is a board with categories. When a team solves a challenge in a category it receives a flag that is worth points as well as getting to unlock the next challenge. Once a challenge is unlocked however, any team could potentially work on it. There are more rules, but that’s the gist of it. At the end of the event, the judges will contact the top 10 teams who will then each have to submit a technical paper.
One interesting aspect of the value of the flags is that they depend on how many people solve them. More difficult challenges presumably will have fewer flags claimed and their flags will be worth more. So you don’t know how much a flag is worth until after the event is over.
If you qualify you’ll have three weeks to submit your technical paper. It will need to describe your solution to at least five challenges you solved during the event.
The final event will be a DEF CON 28 — if there is a DEF CON this year., or it could be could be online if DEF CON doesn’t materialize physically. It will consist of two parts, of which hacking into a FlatSat in a simulated space environment is the first. If a team is successful at that, they will be eligible for the on-orbit challenge.
Again, to get a payout, you also have to submit a technical paper that is acceptable. There are other requirements. You can be a team of one if you like, but your team leader and the point-of-contact person must be a US citizen and speak English. The team leader can also be the point-of-contact person. If you are under 18 you will need parental consent.
There are also some disqualifying rules. You can’t attack other players. You have to respect open source rules. You can’t hack the infrastructure used to run the contest.
If you are interested in participating, you have until May 24 to register, but since the event starts on May 22, we’d suggest you do so well before then.
“UNITES STATES” -> Did something change for this republic?
What is “The democratization of space” ?!?
Its a ploy by {insert favorite evil country here} to collect you ‘sploits under the guise of an american competition. Hence the misspelling
IOW, “False Flag” espionage.
B^)
Any US citizen here willing to democratize his/her space by taking part in our not-from-US team to make our team eligible?
Required skills: Fluency in English
Knowledge one or more of these is a plus: Software hacking skills, practical RF skills (SDR’s, ability to demodulate a given signal etc.)
You will: Get 1/(no of teammembers) of the reward
I’m interested. I’m kind of a generalist… Not much of a hacker, but I did make it through most of microcorruption and I have a background rich in computers, amateur radio, etc and I have a couple of SDR’s laying around the house. Give me contact info.
Okay there is a guy up in reddit forming his satellite hackers army; talk to him about your experiences and hopefully you will get a reply
https://www.reddit.com/r/RTLSDR/comments/gasfb7/looking_for_radio_professionals_to_join_our_team/
Maxwell Smart: Why is the countdown in German?
Reply: Because all of America’s best rocket scientists ate German.
_are_
Darned autocomplete and lack of an edit function
Yer sometimes my mouth can be a bit like that…..
It was an entertaining thought though…
(More bratwurst mit kraut und bier!)
I’m interested. GIve me contact info and let’s chat.
Likely scenario:
Meanwhile, while all the legitimate competitors are wasting their time “qualifying”, the remnants of Anonymous take over the satellite and send it into a de-orbit trajectory towards the White House…
F them I never needed permission before!
“ There are also some disqualifying rules. You can’t attack other players. You have to respect open source rules. You can’t hack the infrastructure used to run the contest.”
Someone should tell the Russians.
It’s not even a real contest if the infrastructure can’t be accessed.
It would be more interesting if an outside group hacked the satellite out from under the contestants, while also hacking all the teams.