For at least the last three weeks, hackers have attacked large telescopes in Hawaii and Chile, forcing scientists to temporarily close ten observatories. Remote operations have been suspended in some other regions as well.

What’s going on

This mysterious event baffled researchers. Why would anyone deliberately try to stop astronomical research?

The pause in the work of many telescopes has already interrupted a number of international projects, including doctoral theses and other work. It may be too late for some workBecause many observations have a tight schedule, only narrow time windows remain when certain events in space are visible from Earth. More and more of these windows are closing, so scientists are scrambling to find ways to strengthen cybersecurity and restore surveillance.

The size of the results is confusing:

• Initially, NOIRLab, a US-funded research laboratory, announced that the Gemini North telescope in Hawaii had been shut down as a result of a “cyber event.”
• This was followed by the Gemini South twin telescope.
• A week later, NOIRLab cut off astronomers’ remote access to control another network of telescopes in Chile, called “Medium Observatories.”
• Eight other telescopes in the country were also forced to suspend their operations.

NOIRLab declined to comment on the nature of the cyberattack or whether the attackers demanded a ransom. Since then NOIRLab has offered to send a team of graduate students to Chile in hopes of continuing personal observations.

One theory suggests that hackers don’t know what they’re doing.

It’s quite possible that the attacker didn’t even realize he was attacking the observatory.
Von Welch, former director of NSF’s Cybersecurity Center of Excellence, says.

This is unusual for astronomers, as cyber attacks are not usually part of their job. But this event is likely to be a motivator for improving cybersecurity.