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Satellite hacking


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hackers are said to have held one of uk 's military communications satellite, Skynet , to ransom. This was published in the uk -based newspaper Sunday Business . Though the ministry of defence ( m o d) denied any such attack, computer fraud detectives at Scotland Yard said they are investigating the matter. Given that much of uk' s military intelligence from highly sensitive places like Kosovo comes via the Skynet network, military officials see such an attack as a dangerous breach of security. A Scotland Yard spokesperson said, "Officers from the Metropolitan Police Force Fraud Squad are investigating an allegation that the hacker is targeting several different international sites, some of which may include military installations.'

However, the m o d spokesperson dismissed the story saying, "All our satellites are on course and we have had no problems at all.' The Skynet manufacturer, Matra Marconi Space, said that the craft has anti-jamming features that lets it survive "in the hardest of electronic warfare environments'.

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