WHAT IS SHIP SATELLITE COMMUNICATION?
According to the ethical hacking researcher at the International Institute of Cyber Security, Ship security satellite is a process where external devices like sailor 100 gx are used to communicate on land or nearby ships or boaters. Earlier we have shown that shodan can be used to find open ship satellite communications. Most satellite communication works by using a device which is installed in the ships or boats. Devices send messages to the satellite. Satellites receive them and transmit them to other locations. Where message has to be sent.
According to the ethical hacking researcher at the International Institute of Cyber Security open ship satellite devices are the most vulnerable & can be various hacking activities.
PRINCIPLE OF SATELLITE COMMUNICATION IN BOATS OR SHIPS:-
In satellite communication geostationary remains in a fixed position relative to a given geographical location. The satellite is in fixed orbit but moves in a consistent relationship with the Earth. There could be more than one satellite to cover a greater percentage of the sea. An orbiting satellite moves in orbit so it passes above given geographical location. Such transceivers which are installed in ships or boats come into satellite range at periodic time intervals. The transmitter saves the message until the satellite is in range of the receiving earth station.
SHIP SATELLITE COMPANIES:-
If you are part of a petroleum team, fishing vessel, or cargo ship or you are part of a cruise line. Ship satellite security is the most important factor nowadays. Many companies provide ship satellite communication devices.
cobham.com provides many solutions regarding ship satellite communications. One of the popular products is Sailor 900 VSAT.
SAILOR 900 VSAT COMMUNICATION:-
- The SAILOR 900 VSAT is an advanced maritime secured with a Ku-band antenna system built with high quality & high performance.
- As demonstrated in the ethical hacking classes at the institute the default credentials of the SAILOR 900 VSAT can be seen in the manual, which can easily be seen on the internet. So the default username: admin & password: 1234 of Sailor 900 VSAT system.
- Further, we searched on Shodan shows Sailor 900. Type sailor 900 in the Shodan search engine.
- We have found 3 locations of Sailor 900. Opening 175.176.225.210 shows the details of sailor 900.
- You can search more about sailor systems.
INTELLIAN FLEET XPRESS COMMUNICATION:-
- Intellian is another maritime system used at sea with high acceleration of Ka-Band data.
- The default username: intellian & password: 12345678 of Intellian Fleet Xpress
- Further search on Zoomeye shows many devices using the intellian Fleet Xpress. Type intellian in the Zoomeye search engine.
- We have found many open intellian devices running. Click on 209.239.89.62
- You can find more about intellian devices in zoomeye.
BOOST SAFETY SHIP SATELLITE DEVICES:-
Basic tips that can help to save from cyber attack on ship satellite communication system.
- Change Default Password: Most ship satellite system has default password 1234. Always remember to change your default password. The password must be 10 to 15 characters long containing special characters (@#$%&*). If the password is left common, most probably the attacker can excess admin settings of the system Do not write passwords on board or anywhere on the ship.
- Updates the Ship Satellite System: If you are using a strong password attackers can still access your ship satellite system, so always update ship satellite systems to stay safe from cyber attacks. Go to: https://sync.cobham.com/satcom/support/downloads/?type=2502&article=7399 Download the latest firmware & install firmware. You can check the version displayed in the Sailor VSAT interface.
- Updating & Installing Satellite Terminals: Always update terminals regularly to avoid attack. Regular checks are required, and terminal manufacturers regularly release new versions of terminals. Important updates include vulnerabilities. Sometimes there is no IT support. Updates can be installed over the air using a terminal. But there must be a proper set of configurations when installing updates through the terminal over the air.
- Don’t Open the ship satellite IP address on the public internet: Make sure the ship satellite is not publicly open. The terminal should remain closed. Most ship satellite systems provide a set of personalized IP addresses. You can set personalized IP addresses. Only crew members should know the IP addresses which give access to the terminal.
