A cyberattack on the National Optical-Infrared Astronomy Research Laboratory (NOIRLab) research center for ground-based astronomy has resulted in several large telescopes being unable to operate for weeks. The attack was detected on August 1, leading to the suspension of astronomical observations at the Gemini North telescope on Mauna Kea in Hawai’i.

NOIRLab’s quick response prevented damage to the observatory, but as a precautionary measure, the Gemini Observatory computer systems were shut down, leaving 10 telescopes offline and remote control of many unavailable.

The nature of the attack has not been confirmed by NOIRLab, but it is suspected to be a ransomware attack, where users are denied access to their files or control over their systems until a ransom is paid. Earlier in 2019, the Atacama Large Millimeter Array (ALMA) Observatory experienced a similar ransomware attack that forced the telescope offline for over a month.

Ransomware attacks on scientific facilities like telescopes are lucrative for hackers due to the value of the data they hold and the cost to the facilities when operations are disrupted. While ALMA was offline, it incurred losses of approximately a quarter of a million dollars per day. These attacks highlight the need for increased investment in cybersecurity efforts and a zero-trust approach, which involves eliminating implicit trust and implementing strong authentication methods, network segmentation, and prevention of lateral movement.

Sources: Science

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